Assassination Housemates! This'll be fun!
by Riley Written
Summary: About six years after attending class 3-E, Karma and Nagisa are Juniors in college. Life with their apartment mates, Haven and Fia, is interesting to say the least. Rated T for Language. Collaborative project.
1. Chapter 1: First Time

"Yay, Tsu-chan! We're finally roommates!" Haven hopped around the room happily.

"We've pretty much been roommates for two years, Angel. It was bound to be official eventually," Fia laughed. Their friend, Benny, walked through the front door carrying a cardboard box, which he placed on the floor.

"That's the last one. Aren't you guys glad I was helping you?" Benny asked as he stood up and swung an arm around Haven's shoulders.

"Benny, you're suffocating me!" Haven choked as her friend put her in a light headlock.

"That's not suffocation. If you really want suffocation, I could show you," a tall, red-headed young man, came strolling through the front door fiddling with a knife. A sadistic smile spread across his face. Haven gave a small squeak as her two older friends stepped in front of her in defensive stances.

"Karma, don't scare our classmates," a person with light blue pigtails stepped in front of the red-haired Karma.

He lowered the knife and said, "I'm not. I'm just introducing myself, Nagisa."

"Whatever you say," Nagisa turned towards the three, "Anyways, we're your new housemates. I'm Nagisa Shiota and he's Karma Akabane. We look forward to living with you." From between Fia and Benny, Haven popped through.

"Hi! I'm Haven Lee!" she said smiling brightly. Benny began to pull her back. In response, Fia switched places with Haven and introduced herself, eyeing the red-head suspiciously.

"I'm Fia Timo. Nice to meet you," she said, hand outstretched. Nagisa shook it. Haven tried to wriggle out of Benny's grasp, causing a scene.

"Where are you guys from?" Fia asked politely, ignoring the two behind her. Nagisa leaned over to peek at the bickering pair in the background.

"Oh, that's normal," Fia leaned to block his view while waving her hand casually to dismiss the topic.

Karma laughed, "This is going to be fun."

"Do you guys need help moving in?" Fia asked.

"We don't want to intrude, but if you're okay with it, we'd love the help," Nagisa smiled.

"Let's go, Angel," Fia walked towards the door.

"Tsu-chan! Get Benny off of me!" Haven cried while being sat on. Fia sighed and shot Benny one of her signature glares.

By the time the five had finished bringing the boxes into the apartment, the sun had begun to set.

"Right, well, Fia, Haven, I'm out. Stay safe," Benny waved. Fia and Haven waved back as he exited the apartment, closing the door behind him. The remaining four plopped down on the couches, exhausted from the day's activity.

"Tsu-chan, what should we eat for dinner?" Haven whined.

"I don't know, let's order in Chinese. Does anyone have a phone?" Fia asked.

Karma raised his hand, lazily, "I guess I do."

"What should we order?" Nagisa asked.

"CURRY!" Fia and Haven blurted out simultaneously. They looked at each other and laughed, but Fia quickly turned away with a blush as she realized the almost-strangers were staring.

"Sorry, guys, I just thought we should get something we could all share," Fia mumbled.

"That works," Nagisa smiled as Karma walked to the connected kitchen to order. Haven bounced and sang "curry" to herself in her own little world.

Feeling slightly awkward, Fia desperately tried to make small talk. "So, how did you manage to get a co-ed dorm room?" Fia asked, snapping Haven back into the real world.

"Well, I'm actually a guy," Nagisa replied, much to Fia's mortification.

"Tell them the truth," Karma returned from the kitchen and slung his arm over Nagisa's shoulder, "He's a trans." He grinned but Nagisa deadpanned and sighed in response.

"That's not the truth," Nagisa muttered.

Karma grinned and jabbed his thumb in the direction of Haven. "How about you guys? How did you get a co-ed room?"

Fia's jaw fell slack. "Angel's a girl!" Haven curled up in a ball on the couch, pouting.

"You check?" he laughed.

Fia's face flushed in response. "I-DID YOU CHECK?!"

"Huh?! But-" Nagisa started.

The redhead laughed more. "Is that the best comeback you've got?"

"J-just shut up already!" Fia sighed exasperatedly.

"Mine may not be as noticeable as Fia's, but they still exist," Haven interjected from her corner.

"You sure? I don't know if I buy that. Maybe we should switch roommates and-" Karma started.

"CAN WE JUST DROP IT ALREADY?!" Fia cried. "WE'RE HOUSEMATES."

They four sat in silence for awhile: Haven in her corner, Karma with a somewhat satisfied look on his face, Fia with her face buried in her hands, and Nagisa sighing. Even after the food had arrived, there was still silence so Nagisa tried to break it with some friendly small talk.

"I see you call each other by nicknames. How did you come up with them?" Nagisa asked.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, her name is Haven Lee. It's a 'heavenly' name so I thought calling her 'Angel' would be fitting! Besides, she's generally a sweet person… Usually." Fia explained with a chuckle.

"And tsundere Tsu-chan," Haven smiled, "is a tsundere! So she's Tsu-chan!"

"Um, what's that mean?"

Haven pondered for a moment, "Well,... a tsundere is…"

Karma laughed and moved around the couches as he approached the girls. Fia eyed him with suspicion as he cracked a devilish smile. "I know what that is. Want me to show you?"

Fia's mouth curved downward into a frown, nearly a pout. "I'd rather you not."

"Oh…?" The redhead's eyes narrowed slyly and he paused for a brief moment before moving in quickly. Faster than either girls' eyes could follow, Karma's face was an inch away from Fia's. Her eyes widened in shock and her cheeks flushed as he said, "you're not bad looking, you know that?"

"FUCK!" Fia jumped backward as Karma pulled back and broke out into a fit of laughter. "Y-you! That was-I mean-How could you-I'm not-WHO ASKED YOU ANYWAY?!" she sputtered and raged.

"Karma, that wasn't very nice. Leave the girl alone, would you?" Nagisa sighed.

"What?" he asked, playing innocent when his facial expression clearly read 'I'm a sadist.' "You wanted to know what a tsundere was, didn't you, Nagisa?"

"I didn't think you'd do that to her!" the blue-haired boy protested.

Unsure of what to do, Haven looked between her three companions as she listened to their exchange in interested silence.

Karma turned to the girl again. "Thanks for your help, Tsu-chan~~" He emphasized the name, drawing it out with a fake sweetness.

Face redder than the boy-who-harassed-her's hair, Fia sprang up from her seat. She shoved her bowl of curry into Haven's hands and ran towards her room in a state of embarrassment and panic… but she tripped to her horror and dismay over a box that hadn't quite been pushed aside. She went flying as did the box. Her housemates all cringed as she hit the floor and the box's contents clattered around her.

Nagisa stood up with a concerned look. "Are you alright, Fia?"

She rubbed her head, nursing the bump that was steadily growing. "Y-yeah, I think so." Fia looked around to get her bearings, then paled like the moon (or, at least, what 30% was left of it). "W-why are there a bunch of guns in your box?!"

Nagisa's expression became serious and his eyes gleamed with a fierceness the girls hadn't seen before in the gentle-looking boy. "If we're going to live together, I should tell you the truth. Karma and I-we're assassins."

The room was still for a moment.

Haven burst out laughing. "I might have believed it if Karma had said it!"

Fia smiled warily in response. "Well, he did introduce himself with a knife." She gingerly began to place the guns back in the box. "So what are these? Props?"

Karma made his way over to her and began tossing the guns back in the box as well. He smirked. "Yeah, they're props, but-" he poked her cheek with the icy barrel of one of the guns, "they're realistic, right?"

"Y-yeah…" Fia bit her lip. Karma's white-orange eyes were unsettling to say the least.

"Anyway, should we all get back to dinner?" Nagisa asked, pointing to the steadily-cooling bowls of curry.

"CURRY~!" Haven chimed.

Karma pulled Fia to her feet and she pouted at him with pink cheeks, recalling what he had done earlier. "Thanks…" she murmured begrudgingly.

With that, the new housemates all finished dinner with a little friendly small talk.

"I'll clean up," Fia offered, making her way to the kitchen with all the bowls in hand.

"Really? Thanks!" Nagisa replied. "We're off to our room then."

"Night, Gisa~!" Haven giggled.

"I-is that supposed to be my new nickname?" he questioned.

"Sure is! Night, Knife Boy! Night, Tsu-chan! Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite!" Haven waved and skipped off to her own room for the night.

"Well, that was an interesting first day…" Nagisa said.

"Did she just call me 'Knife Boy'?" Karma asked, bewildered.

"You have to admit, it does suit you." He paused to think. "Those girls are actually pretty nice. What about the gun-"

"Don't worry about it," Karma said casually as he slipped his hands behind his head and stepped into their room. He stopped mid-step and turned ever so slightly towards the opened gun box. "It's probably better if they don't believe us."

He disappeared into the darkness and Nagisa sighed. "You're probably right," he muttered as the door swung to an echoing close.

* * *

Karma: "Stay safe," that's likely in a house with assassins.

Nagisa: Karma! They don't know about that yet!

Haven: (pops up out of nowhere) Know what, Gisa~?

Nagisa: N-nothing.

Karma: Aw, look at you two, getting along so well. Making new friends, Gisa?

Nagisa: At least I'm not the one harassing my housemates. Are you okay, Fia?

Fia: ... (glares at Karma) I'm fine.

Karma: (smirks) Is that so, Tsu-chan? You look awfully flustered to me.

Fia: (blushes) AM NOT!

Nagisa: Well, your cheeks are a little red.

Haven: Really red. I've rarely seen them this red!

Fia: Not. Helping. It's just hot in here!

Karma: (laughing) Well, I AM in the roo-

Fia: IT'S NOT YOU! Fuck you and this. NARRATOR, WHERE IS THE NEXT CHAPTER'S SUMMARY?!

Narrator: Next time on-

Fia: This isn't a TV show!

Nagisa: I wouldn't argue with the narrator, it's the one writing this…

Narrator: Say good morning to the four housemates. Haven and Fia show the boys around town and end up at the mall! Karma gets into a fight, makes a new "friend", and is nice?


	2. Chapter 2: Mall Time

Typing furiously on the laptop she was holding, toothbrush hanging loosely from her mouth, Haven walked into the kitchen where Nagisa was already making breakfast.

He waved with a friendly smile. "Good morning, Haven."

"Morning," Haven mumbled as she continued to walk and type. She sat at the table, nearly missing the chair, and continued typing as she placed the laptop on the table. Nagisa came over with his breakfast and sat across from her.

"Ghn…" Fia shuffled into the kitchen behind Haven with a drowsy look still plastered onto her face. She plopped down in the chair next to Nagisa and yawned before rubbing her eyes, attempting to smoothing down her impossible bedhead, and giving up to put her head on the table. Nagisa opened his mouth to greet her but only got light snoring in response.

"Tsu-chan, wake up," Haven elbowed her head lightly, still immersed in her typing.

She moaned and lifted her head up. She attempted a sentence or two but her words were sleepily slurred together.

"You're not awake yet, Ms. Tsundere?" called Karma as he entered the room.

Fia's head snapped up and she stood suddenly, knocking over the chair. "YOU-!"

"Yes?" He grinned cheekily.

She stammered an incoherent response and resolved herself to sit down on the floor where her chair used to be. "Bleh." After a pause, she added "it's 'Fia' to you… Jerk."

"Could you two be a bit quieter, I'm trying to hack into the U.S. gov," Haven added, toothbrush still hanging out of her mouth.

"You're joking, right?" Nagisa asked.

Haven mumbled something incoherent in response and Nagisa smiled and gave Fia a hand up. His housemates might have been a little quirky, but they were all nice in their own way. Fia smiled in thanks and made her way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Nagisa, by contrast, sat back down and looked to Haven. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm a little busy at the moment."

"Busy eating your toothbrush?" Karma replied from the kitchen. He spun a knife expertly in his hand and began chopping fruits at lightning speed. Next to him at the counter, Fia watched in absolute disbelief. Popping a strawberry in his mouth, Karma turned to his kitchen neighbor. "Want some fruit for your cereal? Cut too much."

"R-really? Thanks!" In return, Fia handed Karma a spoon and the two took the last seats at the table. "So… Where are you guys from?" Fia inquired politely.

"Oh. Karma and I are from Japan. We're here as international students." The bluenette smiled. "It's actually our first time here in the United States."

"Cool!" Fia propped her chin up on her hands and grinned. "Maybe Haven and I can give you a tour of the town today! Maybe even of the campus if you're feeling up to it."

"That would be great," Nagisa responded. "You're coming, right, Karma?"

"I think I'd rather just stay in and sleep," he responded flatly.

"Then I guess you could do all the unpacking by yourself-"

"Alright, alright. I'll go." The redhead leaned back in his chair and balanced his spoon precariously on his nose. "Well, only if you can get strawberry cheeks there to stop looking at me like I'm gonna blow up the town or something."

Fia's cheeks exploded with a burst of color. "It's not like you made the best first impression!" she protested. "Or second, or even fourth for that matter!"

"Why did I even try to work here?" Haven grumbles from her side of the table as she closes her laptop and carries it back to her room.

"So, where'd the fun one from last night go?" Karma asked after the girls' door closed.

Fia shrugged. "She… hasn't had a lot of sugar yet today. Yesterday our friends from freshman year all got together to eat cake and celebrate moving out of the dorms. She'll be more approachable within the hour. Anyway, I'm going to get ready. See you in half an hour or so?"

Toothbrush gone, Haven walked back into the kitchen wearing jeans, a black button-down shirt, and a bubblegum pink tie. Her white, shoulder-length hair neatly parted and combed. She walked over to the kitchen, popped a bagel into the toaster, and leaned against the counter while waiting for the others to finish getting ready.

Fia quickly washed up and attempted to smooth down her wavy auburn hair with a brush. She blew her bangs away from her olive green eyes and moved to throw on a tank top and jeans. Fia closed the clasp of her favorite "tree of life" necklace securely around her neck and pulled on a green sleeveless hoodie as she exited her room.

The males stood side by side in the bathroom. Karma pulled on a blood-red collared shirt over a black long-sleeved shirt while Nagisa zipped up his short-sleeved hoodie and fixed his pigtails. They exited and Nagisa smiled at them in greeting. "Ready to go?"

* * *

"So that's the news station-you can tell by all of the huge televisions fixed to the outside of the building. The street next to it leads into downtown; that's mostly the large shopping district, the convention center, museums, restaurants, clubs, etc. You know, the busiest public spaces. The quieter places are on the other side of town. You can find smaller cafes and big parks where you'll find mostly families and couples. Here in the heart of town is where our college town is and the sports center." Fia laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, did you get all of that?"

Nagisa smiled and nodded. "I think so. Thank you for showing us around."

"It's no problem, really," Haven said. Smiling at the others, she asked, "Anywhere else you want to go?"

Karma locked his hands behind his head indifferently and Nagisa grabbed his chin in thought. "Could we maybe go somewhere with a lot of books? I'd like to learn more about this country, if that's okay."

The girls looked at each other and simultaneously answered, "There's the school library."

Karma sighed. "Isn't that a little dull for our first day here, Nagisa?"

"Well, there's the bookstore at the mall. There's a movie theater there and a lot of shops - even a small arcade - if you want options." Fia shrugged. "Does that work, Angel?"

"Yep," Haven smiled.

"Sounds good to me!" Nagisa agreed.

"Yeah, that works," Karma added with a smile. "I might try to catch that new movie adaption of 'Sonic Ninja.'"

"Let's go!" the four shouted. With that, they were off. A hop, skip, and a bus ride later they were standing inside the entrance of a several-story-high mall complex. Four pairs of eyes roamed the inside with wonder and admiration.

Haven looked to her group. "Should we stick together or split up and meet back here later?"

Fia bit her lip in a fluster and fixed her gaze on something in the far distance. "I… have something I want to check out. Can I meet you guys back at the wishing fountain by the food court in, like, an hour or so?"

"Sure, no problem!" Haven replied. "I can show you where the bookstore is, Gisa. Karma, do you want me to show you where the arcade is?"

Karma tilted his head back in thought for a moment. "Nah, I have something I want to check out too." He turned on his heel and disappeared into a crowd of people."

"So, what exactly do you want to learn about the United States?" Haven asked as she led the way to the bookstore.

"Nothing in particular. I just like researching," Nagisa replied.

"Do you plan to be a STEM major?"

"No, an English major, actually."

There was an awkward pause.

"Sorry, I'm no good at conversation," Haven blushed lightly, "I've always been better with inanimate objects, especially computers."

"I had a teacher who said, 'Conversation is a challenge for the best of us and that's okay. Don't think in terms of finding the right words, let them find you, just let the conversation flow.'" Nagisa reminisced.

"Thanks for the advice," Haven said with a smile, "Well, here we are." The two walked into the bookstore.

* * *

Honestly, it took longer than Karma expected to find Fia. She did give off the "ordinary wallflower" feel, but he had checked everywhere he thought she could be. That's when he bumped into her, literally. He looked from the startled girl to the sign hanging from the store window.

"Charlotte Russe?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"U-Uh, I'm not here to look at anything! I w-was just here to check out this thingy for my friend-person-thing who wanted me to look at-at a thingy-thing for it-I mean her-because she couldn't come see it herself because of, um, the thingamabobber that came up-" Fia gasped for air and began to cough loudly.

Karma sweatdropped and took note of the girl's irrationally red ears. "Calm down, Fia." Her response was more or less that of an exasperated sigh. "You're really terrible at this lying thing, you know that?" She again responded with some sort sigh as she tried to catch her breath. Karma looked through the store window, trying to follow what he imagined could have been her direct line of vision. He noticed a mannequin wearing a floral dress. "Were you looking at that?" he asked, pointing to it.

She bit her lip and nodded, avoiding his gaze. "What does it matter to you…? Are you going to make fun of me?"

"Maybe a little bit now that you mention it-"

"HEY!"

"Kidding~"

"Hn."

"Seriously, though," Karma asked, "what's wrong with you looking at a dress? Why don't you just go into the store and get it?"

"Well, I…" She paused in thought. "It isn't really my 'style.' It wouldn't really suit me."

"You don't know until you try, right? C'mon-" Karma grabbed Fia's wrist but she immediately dropped to her knees and became an anchor of stubbornness as he tried to pull her in.

"N-no!" she protested.

"Why not? It won't kill you," he argued.

"It will! I just…" Fia's gaze fell. "I wouldn't be brave enough to wear it anyway so could we please just drop it already? Besides, Nagisa and Angel might be waiting for us at the fountain already…"

Karma sighed and pulled the girl onto her feet. "Alright, Tsu-chan, but-"

"But what?" she pouted.

"For the record, I think you'd look cute in it." Karma smiled at her for a brief moment before turning to walk towards the food court. Fia only had a second to wonder whether or not it was genuine before realizing that she had to chase after him.

"Hey! Wait up!" she called. "There's a thing called the 'buddy system'!"

"Says the girl who needed to 'check something out' on her own?" he smirked.

"YOU!" Fia yelled. Still, despite her burning cheeks, she felt a contented smile spread across her lips.

* * *

Fia and Karma saw Haven's backside first. Then they heard a voice that made Fia cringe and could make milk curdle, babies cry, and snakes eat themselves inside out.

"Haven, are you checking me out again? You're pretty for a guy, but I'm not interested in dudes," the voice said loudly. Its owner was a guy a bit taller, and much bulkier than Haven.

"I wasn't checking you out and I'm not a boy," Haven replied in a strained voice.

"You can't possibly be a girl. You don't look," the boy smirked as he pulled on her tie, "like one. Hell, you don't even act like one. You're obsession with computers and don't care at all about your looks."

"Haven, what's going on?" Nagisa asked as he approached the pair, carrying a bag of books.

"Stay out of it, Nagisa," Haven muttered quietly before biting her lip.

"And why else would you have a girlfriend? I guess homosexuality is possible, but I doubt that. Are you cheating on Fia with her?" he asked and let go of the tie. "I mean I understand completely. This one is very cute. Maybe I'll steal her from you. Would you man up then?"

Fia clenched her fists and bit her lip as she angrily glared at the boy harassing her friend. "It's that asshole…"

Karma looked to the girl questioningly. "Who?"

"His name is Dick and he is one!" Fia spat.

"You're kidding me, right? Who names their kid that?" Karma asked. "What's his problem anyway?"

"He-He always comes to bother Haven. She's known him since they were little and they've never really gotten along. I would love to tell him off but I'm…" she muttered, but Karma was already heading towards him.

"Shit. Karma!" Fia chased after her redheaded companion.

"Hey there," Karma put his hand on Dick's shoulder. "Did you lose something? Because you're asking to lose your hand if you keep messing with this girl like that."

"Karma, stay out of it!" Haven gritted her teeth.

"Yeah, back off!" Dick shrugged Karma's hand off of his shoulder just as Fia caught up to them.

"Oh, I'm nobody important, but you see that girl there?" he asked, flicking a knife out of his sleeve and pointing it at Nagisa. "She's someone you should be really scared of. I live with her and I have to triple-bolt all of my locks at night because she's so terrifying. You might just wet your stupid ripped jeans if you knew." Karma began to circle Dick with a predatory look in his eyes. Fia took an involuntary step back. It was as if she was seeing a shark circle a guppy… an ugly guppy. "You see, Dick, this girl is a full-blown assassin. She's probably taken down the highest profile of guys all across Asia."

"Karma! Are you kidding me?" Nagisa shouted in dismay before mouthing something to him.

"Seriously, Stop it now!" Haven seethed, she was ignored by all.

Karma smiled, a Cheshire grin parting his lips. "Aw, c'mon, Nagisa. We might as well~."

Nagisa face-palmed. "AND I'M A MALE!"

Laughing, the redhead stepped aside and casually twirled his knife between his fingers. "I never knew that, Nagisa." He feigned innocence. "You really should have told me before we started rooming together." Karma paused. "And I wouldn't want to leave a bad 'first impression,' would I, Nagisa?"

"Fine, have it your way." Nagisa sighed and turned to face Dick.

Dick scoffed. "You expect me to believe that this cute little doll-face can hurt me?"

Nagisa began to walk over, as if he were enjoying the breeze at a botanical garden, to where the pest was. Fia couldn't help but take a step back and look at Karma questioningly. He winked and put his finger to his lip in a "just wait" gesture. Dick didn't have the leisure of receiving a warning; before he knew it, Nagisa was in his face. The bluenette paused for a brief second to smile before gently blowing in Dick's face. Startled, the boy yelled and fell over, causing Karma to burst out in a fit of laughter.

Nagisa sweatdropped and extended his hand to Dick. "I'm sorry about that-I didn't mean to scare you like that. Karma was kidding-"

"FUCK OFF, YOU PRISSY-LOOKING BASTARD! I wasn't scared!" Dick slapped away Nagisa's hand in a fluster. "I was NOT scared!" he insisted again as he scrambled to his feet.

"But of course you were," Karma laughed. "Your knees are knocking together so loudly that I could hear them from the other end of the mall."

"Karma, that's a little much, don't you think?" Fia hesitantly moved to grab Karma's sleeve.

"Not only that, but you look like you could piss yourself at any second!" he continued anyway.

"Hey! Listen, cherry-pop, the only one who will be pissing themselves is you if you-" Dick began.

"I'm sorry, but could you quiet down?" Nagisa asked coldly. "You're causing a commotion."

"Why don't you shut up instead?!" Dick yelled.

"Poor, Dick. He has to run his mouth to let out all the air in his big, square head," Karma laughed. "The pressure might crush his brain if he doesn't! Wait, what brain? Silly me~."

Dick growled and charged at the redhead in a fury. Karma dodged with ease, but Fia was left standing there with Dick about to hit her instead. She had a brief flashback of all the horrors she experienced in P.E. and squeaked as she shut her eyes and instinctively pushed Dick away.

"SCREW THE LINEBACKER!" she cried. Fia didn't open her eyes until she heard a loud splash and a long silence. She opened her eyes and turned to see Dick had fallen into the wishing fountain.

"Now you've really gone and wet yourself," Karma chastised. He turned and shot a smirk over his shoulder at Fia. "Touchdown?"

Her cheeks flushed red. "Sh-shut up!" She looked to Dick in dismay, unsure whether or not to feel proud or extremely guilty.

"Fuck you all!" Dick yelled at the four, shooting Haven an especially dirty look as he left the scene.

"I told you guys not to interfere!" Haven yelled, red-faced. She stomped away from the group and into the dispersing crowd. Fia was about to follow when someone tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me, ma'am, you'll have to come with us," a mall security guard informed her.

Fia's face flushed first, then paled. She watched her friend disappear and looked over to see the boys being detained as well. Karma stuck his tongue out as if he didn't even care. She sighed then nodded meekly, deciding that cooperation would be the best course of action in this situation… She was still a little miffed that she wouldn't be able to throw a penny in the fountain, but, oh well. Fia guessed she had to be satisfied with throwing a boy in instead.

Three hours later, Fia and the boys returned to their apartment. She checked her phone once again to see if Haven had tried to contact her, but had no luck. Fia had dinner with the boys at the kitchen table before tiredly waving goodnight and retiring to her room. When she entered the bedroom and turned on the lights, the first thing she noticed was Haven typing on her computer.

"Hiya, Tsu-chan! I was wondering when you'd get back," Haven smiled brightly. Fia couldn't help but notice the mountains of candy wrappers scattered all around her friend.

"Angel, how much sugar did you eat while we were gone?" Fia asked cautiously.

"I'm not sure. I lost track after the carton of ice cream," Haven replied. Sure enough, there was an empty carton of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia hidden behind her computer.

"When did you get the ice cream?"

"On the way back from the mall."

Fia sighed, knowing it would be futile to try to have a serious conversation with her friend at the moment. She reluctantly gave Haven a pat on the head. "Just try not to eat anymore. Okay, Angel?" she pleaded as she went to turn off the light.

* * *

Haven: Karma was being a sweetheart, Karma was being a sweetheart! YAY!

Fia: I guess you're not always a jerk, Karma. Still, it wasn't nice of you to antagonize that guy like that… Even if he is a dick.

Karma: Would you rather have let him keep being one? I might have my moments here and there, but you, Tsu-chan, you're always a tsundere~

Fia: YOU! SHUT UP!

Nagisa: (reading by himself in the background)

Karma: Haven, if you're that happy about me being nice, I can always take it upon myself to mess with you tomorrow. I have no problems with that. (cheeky smile)

Haven: I dare you to!

Fia: Can my best friend and somewhat-friend not fight? Help me out here, Nagisa.

Nagisa: (continues to be absorbed in his book)

Fia: (o^ o") Maybe we should just get onto the next chapter preview… Narrator?

Narrator: I don't want to… yet.

Fia: (sighs) Well, why were you nice to me today, Karma?

Karma: Sure, I like to mess with you, but that doesn't mean I want to kick you when you're down. Have a little faith.

Fia: … Can I trust you to take the next chapter preview seriously then?

Karma: (laughing) Nope! This next chapter we get to see the blossoming of a romance between a toaster and Haven's computer-

Haven: WHAT!? WHY!? MY COMPUTER!

Karma: Hey, if it'll get the narrator to do the job. We don't pay for nothing-

Narrator: I DON'T GET PAID! I WROTE YOU INTO EXISTENCE.

Nagisa: (continuing to read his book) Actually, Yūsei Matsui did. He's the creator of 'Assassination Classroom" …

Narrator: I meant in this fanfiction, Nagisa. (clears throat) Anyway, in the next chapter, you can look forward to Nagisa looking up from his book, Fia's chemical finesse, meeting a familiar blonde, and a five player game of Call Of Duty?

Haven: My computer had better be perfectly fine at the end of the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3: Hint Time

"Tsu-chan, wake up!" Haven poked the lump of a blanket that was her sleeping friend.

"Gnhhh…" it groaned and rolled over.

"Come on, Tsu-chan," Haven continued as she dressed for the day. Fia rolled over and checked the time on her cell phone.

"Angel, it's 5:30. Classes don't start for at least two more hours. Go back to sleep," Fia groaned.

"But I'm so excited! I won't be able to sleep," Haven complained. Her remark was met with light snoring.

"I guess I'll just go surprise everyone with breakfast," Haven mused to herself as she headed to the kitchen. Ten minutes later, the fire alarms began to sound and the four occupants of Unit 1-11 began to evacuate.

As everyone in the apartment complex filed out of the building, several shot glances at the burning apartment and a particular white-haired resident.

"Who let Haven into the kitchen?" a random student asked loudly. Fia was as red as a tomato or the small fire blazing in their apartment's kitchen.

"Is this a common occurrence?" Nagisa asked. Fia laughed dryly.

"Now that I know you're this dangerous, I'll ask you to help me on my pranks," Karma gave Haven an unsettling smile.

"Oi, it's not completely my fault!" Haven protested, "Who stores their chemical concoctions in a kitchen anyways!" Fia began to fluster.

"Shit! No one can know about that! Ahhh! The firemen! Come on, Angel, we need to make the fire bigger! I can't leave any evidence!" Fia grabbed Haven's arm and began to run back towards the apartment.

"What are you thinking?" Karma asked as he stopped Fia by grabbing onto the hood of her jacket.

"...Trying to hide the evidence," Fia replied meekly before beginning a mantra of, "Please think it's just cleaning supplies."

The four stood and waited with their fidgeting classmates who were watching firemen go in and out of the building.

"Ma'am, could you please come with me?" a fireman tapped Fia's shoulder.

"Ummm… sure," Fia replied and the fireman led her to a less crowded area. Nagisa, Haven, and Karma were already there.

"What chemicals were in your kitchen?" the fireman asked.

"Just regular cleaning supplies!" Fia answered quickly.

"Well, those were some hell of some cleaning supplies! They were inflammable and helped contain the fire." Behind the fireman, Fia saw Haven and Nagisa staring at them in shock and Karma trying not to burst out laughing. "What's even stranger is that there's no smoke damage anywhere," the fireman continued.

"Really interesting sir. I'm just glad no one got hurt. Can I go now?" Fia sputtered. She could see Karma's urge to laugh was increasing by the second.

"Sure! Have a good day at school, kids," the fireman said with a friendly wave.

* * *

"I flew all the way to America and took a position as a teacher again for nothing!" a loud lady screeched from the boy's bedroom.

Haven opened the door to her room. "I'M TRYING TO WORK HERE!" she yelled before slamming the door closed.

Fia stared blankly at the boys' door. Was this even real? How is it that after returning from classes, she had found her new teacher in her apartment as she angrily dragged Nagisa and Karma into their room. At first, she was mildly concerned that Karma had gotten himself into trouble on the first day - as was to be expected. Now, she was just confused.

"It is not easy to teach a protege on this schedule!" the blond lady shouted as she came out of the boys' room.

"I was actually trying to get something done," Haven grumbled as she exited her own room.

Fia looked between her teacher, her roommate, and her other housemates. "Do you guys know Ms. Jelavic?" Fia asked Nagisa and Karma.

"You could say that" Karma responded flatly. "She was our teacher in junior high. Right, Ms. Bitch?"

"B-but you're so young, Ms. Jelavic!" Fia sputtered. "And it's not nice to call people that, Karma!"

"Yeah, you brat," Ms. Jelavic poked Karma in the cheek.

Fia sighed and, after seeing Ms. Jelavic off, called her companions for a house meeting at the kitchen table. She looked between a diligently typing Haven to a politely smiling Nagisa to a bored, leaning-back-in-his-chair Karma. She sighed and tucked her chin into her palm.

"Well, that was exhausting," Fia sighed. "We started the day with a flourishing amount of fire and fun, rushed to make it to our respective classes, only to find out that my outrageous teacher is your teacher from middle school." She looked to Karma and Nagisa. "Tell me, has she always been so blunt about her sexuality?"

"Pretty much," Nagisa said, "but she can be a really good teacher. She taught us a lot, especially about communication." Nagisa smiled in Haven's direction.

"Communication, huh…" Fia murmured dejectedly. "In any case, was your day any better, Haven? I know you were looking forward to being back in a comp. sci. class."

"Uh-huh," Haven nodded her head, obviously preoccupied.

Fia smiled, being with Nagisa and Haven was usually very easy for her. By contrast… Fia looked to the redhead with an air of both hesitancy and morbid curiosity. "How about you Karma?"

"Me?" He let the feet of his chair hit the floor. "It was fine, I guess."

"You didn't cause any trouble?" Fia asked, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Apparently, he found this entertaining so he chuckled. "Nope. Don't worry, not a single hair was out of place."

"That's a relief," she replied sarcastically. "Good to know that Campus Security won't be knocking on our doors anytime soon…"

"Says the girl hiding questionable substances under the sink?" he teased.

"It's for the sake of scientific discovery and the pursuit of knowledge!" she protested.

"I doubt Campus Security will care why you have them," Haven pointed out as she got up to plug in her computer's charger.

"Well, on the bright side," Karma started, "if you kill a guy, I'll help you Barium."

A flood of red rose from Fia's neck up to her ears like a mercury thermometer. A sharp slapping noise echoed through the kitchen as Fia's hands covered her mouth. There was a pause until a faint squealing noise slowly grew more and more audible.

"Fia, are you alri-" Nagisa asked as he reached his hand out to the petrified girl.

Before he could make contact or even finish his sentence, Fia fell forward in a raging fit of laughter. Her shoulders shook and the table trembled under the hand that was slapping it so hard. She laughed and laughed, and then she stopped to look at Karma as she bit her lip only to break out into more laughter.

The redhead sweatdropped. "It wasn't that funny."

Nagisa smiled warily. "But you are talking to a chemist. I'm going to get you some water, okay, Fia?" The bluenette rose from his seat and went to grab a glass.

The giddy, tomato-faced girl looked up from where her face was resting on the table. She stifled a giggle. "Potassium!"

"Huh?" Nagisa asked.

Karma shook his head. "She means 'K'."

Fia grinned at Karma. "You got it!" She gladly accepted the cup of water from Nagisa to calm herself down. "So…" she attempted to break the awkward stares focused in on her. "So what class are you taking, Karma?"

"Political science."

"Really? I never really would have guessed," Fia said. "What got you interested in that field?"

"I want to be a bureaucrat one day," Karma replied nonchalantly. "I appreciate the work they put in to keep their countries safe during national crises."

"Huh…" she mumbled.

"What? You got a problem with that?" he asked.

"No, no. I just didn't expect you to respect any authoritative figures after… yesterday when we were detained by mall security." Fia shot Karma a look. The redhead laughed in response.

Haven looked between the two of them. "What happened?"

Nagisa sighed. "Well…"

 _Flashback:_

Nagisa found himself sitting between Karma and Fia as they argued loudly about Karma's behavior. He smiled apologetically at both the curious security workers passing by and the security guard who was trying to make a report of the day's fountain incident.

"Who convinces an eight-year-old that they can be the next James Bond?!" Fia cried as she face-palmed.

"Gotta let the kid dream big" the redhead laughed.

"BUT TO HELP HIM ESCAPE INTO THE AIR VENTS SO THAT HE COULD ASSASSINATE THE HEAD OF SECURITY AND FREE THE MANNEQUINS TO LEAD A REVOLT?!"

Karma laughed as he leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "So, Mr. Guard? Got anything else you wanted to ask me~?"

 _End of Flashback_

"And that's what happened," Nagisa said. Fia's face was buried in her hands and Karma was laughing.

"If you had let me go through with my plan, Tsu-chan, I might have been able to snag the mannequin wearing that dress you liked so much~" Karma stuck his tongue out.

"OH, SHUT UP!" Fia yelled, but she smiled embarrassedly. "Anyway, I have to get some homework done for Jelavic's class, so we'll all hang out again later, okay?"

Karma smirked. "Potassium," he called over his shoulder. Fia's ears went red but she resigned herself to get back at him later.

* * *

"Want to play Call of Duty?" Benny called into Haven's room. She was typing furiously on her computer.

"Trying to work," Haven called, "I'll come out when I'm done."

Fia reluctantly sat down on the couch next to Karma and Nagisa. She didn't generally play first person shooter games because they all-too-easily hit home most of the time, but she relented for now. She would have felt bad if she didn't spend time with the guys, especially after Benny had come all this way to check on them; she didn't blame him, though. The last time Benny had seen Karma, he had offered to suffocate Haven. Good times, right?

It didn't take long to figure out who the key players were. Benny was good; he had fast reflexes from years dedicated to playing video games. Nagisa, on the other hand, was gloriously terrifying. His expression never changed from that of his normal, calm one but he seemed to be a tactical genius. Consistently, his accuracy and stealth were infallible. Karma would have been one of the top players. He had the highest kill rates for the first few rounds until he found a more entertaining way of playing.

"YOU CAN RUN ON WALLS?" Fia screamed as her character ran for dear life from Karma's.

"Yup! Upgrades!" Karma maneuvered his character in front of Fia's. His character pulled a knife for a close-range kill and Fia button-smashed her controller as she frantically tried to figure out the controls.

"WHAT THE CRAP IS THIS?!" she cried in dismay.

"I'll give you a ten-second head start." Karma nudged Fia with his elbow.

She gulped and with an "eep!" sent her character running in a different direction. "WHY ME?!"

Karma mused. "Because it's fun. Ten. Eight. Four-"

"THAT'S NOT HOW YOU COUNT!" Fia dropped her controller and started shaking Karma by his arm. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"

He laughed. "You never said I had to count down by ones. By the way-" Orange eyes met olive ones.

"Yeah…?" Fia looked up. "What is it?" By this point, it looked like her cheeks would never return to their natural color and tears were welled in the corner of her eyes. Too fun.

"Zero. Ready or not, here I come~~!" Karma called.

"GYAH!" Fia frantically tried to grab her controller again but Karma kneed it up into the air. Fia desperately played the juggling game with her controller. "CAZZO!" A long string of Italian lept out of the girl's mouth as her character ran. Needless to say, she didn't win that round. Sighing, she turned to Karma with a sour but serious expression. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I-I," she stammered, "I think that y-you should help me with the controls so that this c-can be a fair fight! I won't take 'no' for an answer!"

He grinned. "So you do have some fire in you. Alright, but I teach by example." His eyes gleamed and Fia shuddered. It was too late to get discouraged now.

"So that's how you throw a grenade," Karma said smugly.

"Like… this?" Fia copied the commands Karma had showed her - then it dawned on her. Her grenade wasn't flying at Karma's character or any other feasible target for that matter. No, the grenade was flying vertically up and was about to crash land… on her own character. "YOU MOTHER-FU-" she yelled as the explosion rocked the virtual world. Karma was clutching his stomach and laughing. Angry, she dropped her controller and started smacking his arm. "HOW COULD YOU?!"

Nagisa sweat-dropped as the couch shook beside him and his housemates hit the floor. He could hear Karma easily, and happily, evading Fia's punches, but he didn't bother to look that way. No, his focus had to be perfect. He sent his character into the water, counting down the seconds until he had to come up to breathe. He saw an opposing player run up to the river bank and wait for his chance, but Nagisa was smarter. He maneuvered his character into an optimal spot and at the very last second possible, he lunged at them and plunged his character's knife through his opponent's body. A slight smile graced the bluenette's face.

After a few games like that, Haven came into the room with her computer. A few moments of typing later, she picked up a controller.

"Can I join?" Haven asked.

"Yeah, sure, next round," Benny replied as he dodged one of Nagisa's attacks.

Haven sat down on the couch next to Nagisa. A few more rounds passed with Haven casually manipulating the game controllers. With each round, Nagisa sweat-dropped and Benny spewed loud profanities more and more often.

Fia watched Karma's quadrant carefully. She would get her kill, oh yes, she would have to. As Karma rounded a corner to escape the shots being fired at him by another player, Fia took a deep breath and had her character step out from behind an adjacent barrel. She knew that Karma was not occupied enough to neglect paying attention to the character map, but she was determined to make this work. Her character ran towards his character while shooting a gun. Her aim was atrocious, but that wasn't the main goal. She hit a particular set of commands on her controller and then pulled her character's knife so that her character could grab his. She could hear the redhead scoff next to her. She bit her lip, worried that he might use his deadly accuracy on her, but, to her relief, he also pulled a knife. As his character pulled away from hers and reversed their positions, Fia smiled and put down her controller.

"Mission accomplished~" the girl chimed.

Karma looked at her, then his attention was brought back to the screen when he heard a loud explosion. The grenade. She had used the suicidal prank he had taught her and set him up to stay put so that his character would die along with hers. His gaze shifted back to the girl sitting next to him only to see that she was practically sparkling. "And I thought I was the underhanded one," he laughed. Karma reached over to pat the girl's head. "Not a bad job, Fia."

"What can I say? I had a good teacher-STOP MESSING UP MY HAIR!" she exclaimed as a simple head pat was turned into a violent noogie.

"Yeah? Well, let's see how well you do in the next round!" Karma crooned. Although her vision was blurred by tears, she swore she could see horns and a swishing devil tail.

"Not again!" she whined.

A few moments later, the round was over.

"Haven, how are you doing so well?" Benny asked in disbelief as the screen declared Player 5 as the winner of the third game in a row.

"Oh, I just worked on it a lot over the summer," she shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'll have to watch you next game. Maybe I'll pick up some tips," Benny mumbled as he went to start another round.

"Yes, Haven. Which quadrant is yours?" Nagisa asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Haven replied calmly.

"It doesn't add up, though," Karma smiled, "There are five players and only four quadrants. Fia and I have been playing cat and mouse in the lower half of the screen and I know Nagisa and Benny are on the top half. So, where are you?"

Fia looked at Karma with a blank expression. "Eh?" Then she counted on her fingers. "One, two, thr-Hey! Karma is right! Although, you don't know how much it kills me to even say that." The two stuck their tongues out at the other from where they were both sitting on the floor.

"I think I'll sit this round out," Nagisa commented.

"Will you keep an eye on her? I just want to make sure everyone is playing fair," Fia said as she turned back to the tv screen, controller clutched tightly in her hands.

"I think I'll sit this round out as well," Haven said as she began reaching for her computer.

"Nu-uh-uh," Karma shook his finger as he held the laptop just out of reach.

"Give it back!" Haven began flailing to try to get it. She stood up and tried to grab the computer from him. He held it just out of her reach. "Come on, just give it back!" Haven jumped. Karma just held it further away.

Fia turned to look at Haven. "Are you ready to start?"

"Uhh, no, no… nonononono!" Haven shook her head violently as she tried to get her computer once again.

"Haven, just tell us what you did. You won't get in trouble," Benny sighed. Haven usually started acting like a five-year-old when she was about to get caught and thus, needed to be treated like one.

"It wasn't much. I just got fed up with always losing, so I spent the end of last year and the summer working on a program that would play the game for me," Haven tapped her fingertips together.

"What?!" Benny exclaimed, "I'm not sure whether to feel bad or honored." Haven shot him a sour look as she reclaimed her laptop.

"Oh, do you girls want to go see the new Sonic Ninja movie this weekend?" Benny asked.

"But they're so unrealistic," Haven complained, "I mean, those scenes in the last movie, that's not what hacking looks like." She proceeded to begin typing. "This what hacking looks like," she quickly turned her computer around to show Benny the page of her hacking into his gaming console.

"We could see another movie, Haven," Benny suggested.

"The Imitation Game, but that's no longer in theaters," Haven replied as she turned her computer to face her again, her fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard.

Fia looked to Karma. "Didn't you want to see Sonic Ninja, Karma? We can go! You, me, Benny, and Nagisa."

Nagisa smiled. "That might be fun. Are you into 'Sonic Ninja'?"

"Not in particular," she admitted, "but I do like watching movies. You seem to really like it, Nagisa."

"Sure," he replied. "Karma and I have read the comics since we met in junior high." Fia and Nagisa looked to Karma but he shrugged and stuck his tongue out of his mouth.

"I think I'll just stay in and study. I have a paper due Monday," Benny replied.

"Oh…" Fia said, disappointed.

"We can still go," Nagisa suggested. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Haven?"

"I'm not really…" Haven stopped typing for a second, "a fan of going to the movies."

"Do you have any plans for the weekend?" Benny asked.

"Kind of…" Haven replied, vaguely.

* * *

Haven: Our day most definitely started with a bang.

Fia: (has her headphones in) AsapSCIENCE, thank you for this lovely Periodic Table song~

Karma: Well, there's no curium for stupidity.

Fia: (can't hear) WHAT? Oh, hold on a sec- (takes headphones off) What were you saying?

Karma: Nothing, just that today was fun. It's not every day that that you get to kill your housemates-Don't look so proud, you only had one kill the entire game.

Fia: (turns red) It was the only one I needed! It served you right! (stomps foot and pouts)

Benny: Fia, you know tilting the controller doesn't do anything.

Fia: (blushes) It does plenty! If I feel like it's working a-and it helps m-my confidence then it does plenty!

Karma: Is suicide bombing what you call "confidence?"

Fia: Shut up! Or else I'll tilt my controller into your face! (cheeks go from pink to scarlet)

Benny: Those are mine! Don't touch my equipment!

Karma: Want a rematch? Loser has to eat Haven's cooking~.

Fia: (shudders) I'll pass. No offense, Angel. Speaking of you, though… How many times have you NOT talked about your computer? (attempts to count on her fingers)

Karma: You can complete complex chemical calculations almost instantaneously in your head, but you have to count on your fingers for the simple things?

Nagisa: Well, anyway, is our kitchen going to be alright?

Fia: Yup~! It'll be good as new by the time the next chapter rolls around! I'll cook something delicious!

Narrator: Look forward to Haven's going home, a movie, dramatic homework, and some punny cooking. Is it just me, or does Karma's prospective job sound pretentious?


	4. Chapter 4: Kitchen Time

Fia rushed into the kitchen with hair in her hands and a hair tie in her mouth. She quickly fashioned her hair into a bun and donned a green apron with white polka-dots and a frilly hem. She smiled at her roommate who was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Sorry it took so long for me to get up, Angel," Fia said. She looked at the oven's clock. The green digital numbers flashed 6:30. "I'll try to be quiet so the others don't wake up." With that, Fia got to cooking. She put together a golden omelet with fresh vegetables. Packing the food into a Tupperware container, Fia drew a small happy face on the omelet with ketchup and handed the container to Haven. "All yours, Angel! I hope she's doing well."

"Thank you so much, Tsu-chan," Haven smiled as she tucked it into her bag.

* * *

"Mother, I'm back," Haven called as she closed the front door behind her.

"Mother?" Haven called as she turned on some lights around the apartment, placing her bag on the kitchen counter. She finally found the woman asleep in bed.

"Mother, it's already eight. Time to wake up," Haven said calmly as she shook her shoulder.

"Haven," the woman opened her pitch black eyes, "It's wonderful to see you."

"C'mon, Fia made you some food. It'll be out here when you get up," Haven said as she walked into the kitchen.

"I didn't realize you were coming today. If I had, I would have prepared," Haven's mother sat up in bed.

"I called you last night. Have you been taking care of yourself? Did you buy groceries this week?" Haven asked from the kitchen. She opened the fridge, it was empty.

"Yes, honey. Don't worry about me. That's my job," the young woman walked out to the kitchen in a light robe. Her skin was the color of ivory and her hair, a tangled mess at the moment, was the color of ebony. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties.

"Mother, the fridge is empty," Haven protested lightly.

"I just ran out yesterday. It's not a big deal." Haven's mother sat down at the small kitchen table and Haven placed the Tupperware with Fia's cooking in front of her.

After several bites, Haven's mother smiled, "Please tell Fia this is delicious, as always."

"Of course," Haven walked to the answering machine, flashing red. She hit the play button.

"You have - one - new message. Thursday, 1 pm," the machine reported.

"Good afternoon, Pearl Lee. This is Vanessa with Doctor Goldberg. We missed seeing you for your appointment this afternoon. Please call us back to reschedule," the message played.

"Mother, you missed your appointment," Haven's voice dripped with disappointment.

"It must have slipped my mind," Pearl mused as she took another bite of her breakfast. Haven just sighed as she dialed the doctor's office.

"Hello, Vanessa, it's Haven, Pearl Lee's daughter… Are there any cancelations today? … That's fortunate. We'll see you then… Thank you," Haven hung up the phone.

"Mother, your appointment was moved to today at 10:30," Haven said as she went into the bedroom and got a comb and brush. "After that, we'll go grocery shopping," Haven stood behind the chair and began to brush her mother's hair.

* * *

Nagisa wasn't sure what to think when he entered the kitchen a little before 8. It looked as if the king of IHOP had broken into their apartment to spread butter and pancakey goodness. Nagisa decided to investigate, but it seemed like one girl was in the shower and the other was nowhere to be seen. He knew that Karma could cook, but it wasn't likely that his redheaded friend would get up before him.

"Oh, Nagisa. You're awake already?" Fia asked as she stepped into the kitchen. Body and hair wrapped in towels, Nagisa's housemate shuffled over to turn off the kitchen fan. He could hear her yawn through the remaining silence.

"I could ask you the same thing," Nagisa said with a friendly smile. "I didn't think you were a morning person."

"Heh, well, I use to get up early to watch the sunrise with my big brother every day when we were little. After that… I guess I just got used to waking up early on weekends to cook for the rest of my siblings. I don't mind mornings at all. Help yourself to the food, by the way. I have to get started on my homework." Fia smiled, albeit a little sadly, and returned to her room.

Nagisa turned his attention back to the table of food. "I think I'm going to have a heart attack if I try to eat all of that." He turned on his heel and went back into his room. "Karma. It's time to get up."

"Nngghh…" The redhead buried his face in his pillow and groaned.

"Karma." Nagisa lightly pulled on Karma's blanket, much to his roommate's annoyance. "We're going to the movies, remember?" Karma moved his head so that he could grumpily glare at the bluenette. Nagisa sighed and yanked on the blanket, taking Karma off the bed with it.

"Ouch!"

After a couple of minutes, Karma met Nagisa in the kitchen. His red hair was standing up more than ever, but it looked like he had at least woken up enough to change and begin looking for food. Karma plopped down onto the chair next to Nagisa and surveyed the expansive number of plates. Orange eyes met blue ones questioningly.

"Fia wanted to cook breakfast for us. Try not to torture her too much today, alright?"

As if on cue, Fia walked into the kitchen, or, rather, she dragged herself into the kitchen.

Nagisa put down his fork. "F-Fia, what are you wearing?" he asked in disbelief.

Fia's face flushed under her wavy bangs and high pigtails that were tied off with ridiculously oversized ribbons. She looked down at her forest green romper, adorned with white bows, and her tall white stockings, then back up at the boys. "W-what do you mean?" Fia stammered with a higher-pitched voice than what was normal. "T-this is normal for me, isn't it, b-big brother Gisa?"

"B-big brother?" Nagisa's eyes widened.

Karma was silent for a few moments before he grinned devilishly. "Did you make all of this just for your precious big brother?" he teased.

"Y-yes! Anything to keep my big brothers happy!" A cloud of despair began to gather above Fia's head. _I think this assignment might really kill me_ , Fia thought as she cringed inwardly.

"Really? Anything?" Karma asked. The girl visibly paled. _Oh, Dio, no._

"Karma-" Nagisa warned.

"Then you wouldn't mind doing my laundry? Making my bed? Cooking for me?" he asked.

"N-not at all!" _OF COURSE, I DO_ , she mentally screamed. … But how am I supposed to act? "If I can make you happy," she forced a sparkly smile and a rainbow-filled aura, "then I'm happy to do it for you, big brother Karma!"

The redhead laughed. "This is going to be a fun day~"

She pouted. _Like hell, it will._

* * *

Nagisa sweatdropped. To his left, he had a girl clinging to his arm and pouting at him with teary eyes as if she were begging for his protection. To his right, his best friend and roommate was trying to jab at the girl's colorful outfit. He sighed, he had hoped for a relaxing day.

Fia was absolutely on edge. _I'm sorry, Nagisa._ She hated having to use her newest friend as a human shield, but Karma was really pushing her buttons today-almost literally. "Oh, stop it, big brother Karma!" she forced a giggle. "I'm too ticklish~!" With another false smile, she hid her face in Nagisa's arm again. _This is absolutely humiliating. I mean, cazzo! Who says these kinds of things?! … Me apparently._

Karma grinned and mused, pausing his onslaught of pokes for the moment. He sure as hell had no idea why she was acting this way, but he was going to make the most of it while he could. He figured she had some reason and that he should probably leave her alone, but this was just too great. "You know, Fia. You've been clinging to Nagisa a lot this whole time."

 _Crap. Where is he going with this?_ Fia sighed inwardly. "Whatever do you mean?" She hoped her feigned innocence would be enough to get him off of her back. No such luck.

"I was just thinking that it's not really fair to play favorites, Tsu-chan," Karma said coyly.

She felt her face flush and her facade of a smile break just a little. "I-I don't understand what you mean, big brother." Fia shot a desperate look at Nagisa. He was startled, but he couldn't figure out any way to help. He smiled at her apologetically.

"I just mean to say, you should probably sit next to me during the movie. That would be alright, wouldn't it, Tsu-chan? I'll protect you if you get scared~." Karma's smile spread sadistically.

 _THE ONLY ONE SCARING ME HERE IS YOU, ASSHOLE!_ Fia tried to tilt her head 'cutely.' "Would it be okay if I sit between you and big brother Gisa? Because I-" _YOU CAN DO THIS. YOU CAN SAY IT. JUST SAY IT. OH, GOD, I CAN'T SAY IT._ "Because I love you both soooooooooooooooo much!" She spread her arms wide, attempting to hit Karma 'accidentally' in the process. "THIS MUCH." Fia couldn't help it anymore, her anger was definitely showing through. Luckily for her, Karma seemed content enough with that to just laugh the whole way to the theater.

Fia had enjoyed the experience for the most part. Nagisa was glad to explain anything he knew about Sonic Ninja from the comics whenever she was confused. The reason she didn't enjoy it was a very obvious redhead who decided to pester her during the film.

"Hey, Tsu-chan~" Karma whispered in her ear.

Fia shrank in her seat, feeling her body temperature rise. _What does he want now?_ She was startled to find a popcorn kernel pressed against the corner of her mouth. She shot him a questioning glance.

"C'mon. Isn't this what big brothers do~?"

 _I swear the horns are back._ She begrudgingly accepted after the fourth buttery poke to her cheek and made sure to make an exaggerated "mmm~!" sound.

If that hadn't been bad enough, he kept waiting for the tensest moments of the plot to arise just to poke her side at the worst moments. She would squeak loudly, only to get shushed by the rest of the audience, and "comforted" by her dear, lovely, wonderful, zippity-do-dah big brother Karma. When the credits began rolling onto the screen, Fia was all too eager to get home.

"Thank you for taking me to the movies, big brother Nagisa~" she sang, bouncing on her heels as she imagined her own little sister might do.

Nagisa sweatdropped. "It's not a problem, but are you alright? You seemed really antsy during the whole movie."

"No problem! It was a blast!" Fia giggled. _If only I can get them to take me home now..._ Fia planned. "But I'm reaaallly tired now so can we please go home? Pwetty pwease with sprinkles on top?"

"That sounds like a great idea!" Karma interjected, throwing his arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. "We should go to the park. For ice cream. Where we can show off our adorable little sister!"

Nagisa frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea Karma."

"Aw, c'mon, Nagisa. One stop won't hurt."

With that, the trio found themselves in one of the campus's quads.

 _D-did he really_ have _to choose a place where I would be recognized?!_ Fia thought with dismay. Ironically, at that moment, she saw Jelavic strutting by. The blonde caught sight of Fia and shot her a wink. She deadpanned. _SHE'S DEFINITELY GOING TO HEAR ABOUT THIS FROM ME._

"What are you looking at?" Nagisa asked curiously as he gazed around the quad.

"If you don't hurry, your ice cream might melt, Tsu-chan." Karma's words were light-hearted but his eyes screamed mischief.

"R-right. W-what would I do without you, big brother?" she stammered. Fia sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, today was the perfect day to be outside. The warm blanket of air made by the late afternoon sun was one of the things she loved most about early autumn. Peeling the wrapper off of her waffle cone, she took to eating her soft serve. When she closed her eyes, it almost felt like nothing had changed at all… Like… She was still living in the days when every hour was bathed in a warm glow and her brother…

"Fia?"

"Huh?" Olive eyes opened slowly. She found Nagisa and Karma looking at her with concern.

"Are you okay? You looked like you were about to pass out and you have a little…" Nagisa pointed to her cheek.

Her hand naturally moved to feel her cheek, where she found a cold sticky substance. She looked down to see that she had also accidentally dropped her cone. "Oh…" Fia trailed off. _If he were here, he would have_ \- she was startled by a rough texture on her cheek. She found Karma wiping off the ice cream with a napkin. "K-Karma?"

Nagisa spoke up. "Are you sure you're alright, Fia? You looked like you were about to cry…"

Fia hung her head for a moment in thought and realized her eyes really were going blurry. _I… I can't cry… No, I'm not alone anymore, so I can't…_ Fia looked up and the water that had welled up in the corners of her eyes ran down her face, much to the boys' shared alarm. "I'm sorry if I made you worry," she said softly. "I'm fine, really." Her face turned upward towards theirs and she smiled from the heart. "Thank you both, for a really fun day."

The boys sighed in relief: one more so than the other, afraid that he'd pushed her too far with his taunting. After enjoying the sunlight for a few more moments, the three of them decided to return to their apartments-hand-in-hand at Fia's request.

* * *

At about three, Haven returned to an empty apartment, which she was grateful for. As soon as she closed the door, she slid to the floor and just sat there for a few moments. After taking several deep breaths, she stood back up and headed for the kitchen. She placed her bag on the counter and was about to open it when someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Haven called, hoping it was some random person she could shoo away.

"It's me," Benny's voice called from beyond the door.

"Oh," Haven went back to the front door and opened it part way. Sure enough, there was Benny, with his dark brown hair and eyes the color of caramels.

"Can I come in, Haven?" Benny asked as he stepped into the living room.

"Well, you're already in here," Haven mumbled.

"I thought you had plans today, Haven," Benny said as he plopped himself on the couch, leaving ample room for someone to sit next to him.

"I just got back," Haven replied as she closed the door.

"So, what are you up to now?" Benny asked.

"Not much," Haven went back to her bag on the counter, removed the tupperware container, and proceeded to wash it.

"I've been enjoying my classes so far this year, what about you?" Benny asked to break the silence.

"Sure," placed the tupperware to dry and began on the other dishes in the sink.

"Want me to help?" Benny began to get up.

"I've got it," Haven replied and Benny sat back down. The conversation came to another long lull.

"I got a pet the other day. I named him Ven. You should come over and see him," Benny said.

"Sure, when's a good time for Tsu-chan and me to come over?" Haven continued washing dishes. Just how much had they eaten while she was gone? The stack was twice as large as usual.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe just you and I could hang out," Benny mumbled, softly.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the faucet," Haven called.

"Oh, nothing. Whenever is fine," Benny called back.

"I'll notify you before we come over," Haven said.

"Yeah, do that," Benny stood up. "Well, I'd better get going. I still haven't finished that paper for Monday." He walked out of the apartment quickly.

* * *

Fia unlocked the door to apartment 1-11 and pushed her way inside with a sigh. It was good to be back. She let out an audible groan of relief. "I can finally say that I completed my assignment!"

"Assignment?" Nagisa asked as he closed the door. "Is that what that was all about?"

She sweat-dropped and began to pull her pigtails out of their ribbons. "Y-yeah. Ms. Jelavic gave us all acting practice for the weekend and I got stuck with the role of 'little sister.' S-sorry…"

"Why are you apologizing?" Karma asked with a slight smile. "You made today much more interesting."

She laughed dryly but let it go for the moment. Fia was content just to be with people who didn't question her many quirks. "Glad to be of service," she replied sarcastically. "I'll cook dinner in a little bit, so just sit tight for now, okay?" she said as she turned to go to her room.

"Can I help?"

Fia turned, expecting to see Nagisa, but she found Karma looking at her with serious eyes instead. "S-sure…" Fia disappeared through her doorway and changed clothing, thinking about the day's events. She slowly made her way over to Haven's bed, where she was surprised to find a lump of blankets that wasn't on its computer. Poking the lump gently, she asked "Angel, are you alright?"

"Uh-huh," she called from beneath the covers. "Mom said 'thank you and the food was delicious.' Also, Benny came over. He wants us to see his new pet." Haven sounded outright miserable.

"Oh, that should be fun. I'll, uh, leave you to your lumping. Dinner will be ready soon, okay?"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh."

Fia sighed and made her way outside to catch the last glimpses of the setting sun. She pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and held the first speed dial key. Putting the phone to her ear, she waited. One ring. Two rings.

"Mia bella?" a deep voice asked.

Fia smiled softly. "Hi, Papino… It's been awhile."

The man on the other line chuckled. "So it has. Have you been well, amore? You normally don't call out of the blue like this."

"Yes, I'm doing well. I have new housemates! One is really calm and easy to talk to. The other-well…"

"Is he messing with you? I can take care of that in an instant," he said with a hearty laugh.

"I can manage," she giggled. "He's really not all that bad when you get to know him a little. Papi? Do you still think of-?"

"Ogni giorno, every day. Have you been thinking about him?"

"A little bit…" Fia trailed off.

"He would be very proud of you-just like I am now," her dad attempted to reassure her. Fia opened her mouth to speak but hesitantly decided against it and closed her eyes with a soft sigh. "It seems like your mother is angry again. I might get into some trouble if I don't run now. Was there anything else you needed?"

She laughed. "You might get into even more trouble if she figures out you ran. Would it be okay for me to make one of our family's signature dishes?"

"Of course! Do you even need to ask?" His voice radiated with pride.

"Well, a… a friend asked to help."

"GIOVANNI! YOU LET THEM DO WHAT?!"

"Oops. I'm in trouble now! Wish me luck! Kisses!" She heard a kiss through the phone.

"Ciao," she murmured as the line went dead. Fia sighed and reluctantly went back into the apartment, where she found Karma waiting at the kitchen counter. He smiled at her and she waved back before running to grab her favorite apron and one for him. As she returned to the kitchen, she saw that Nagisa had joined Karma.

"Hi, Fia," the bluenette said as he waved.

"Hi, Nagisa." She paused to tie the knot on her own apron and toss Karma his. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?" he asked.

"Would you check on Haven for me? I don't think she's feeling very good," Fia said regretfully.

Nagisa nodded and made his way to the girls' shared bedroom

* * *

Nagisa walked into the girls' bedroom tentatively. He could tell which side belonged to which girl immediately. The only unifying feature of the room was the set of glow-in-the-dark stars plastered to the ceiling. Fia's side was almost completely spotless, cute but not overtly girly, and had a small mural of pictures and paintings above her bed. The other half was a computer geek's haven; in one corner, sat a corner desk with a grid of nine monitors and a keyboard on one side and a stack of three laptops and various other techy items that Nagisa didn't recognize on the other. In the other corner of the room, a wardrobe and several chests of drawers were pushed against the wall next to a simple bed with a large lump in the center. Nagisa assumed that was Haven. He pulled the swivel chair from in front of the desk over to the bedside and sat quietly. They stayed like that for a few seconds until Haven poked her head out from under the covers.

"What's a normal family like, Nagisa?" she asked timidly.

"I don't really know. I only live with my mother," Nagisa replied.

"Is she nice?" Haven asked.

"We don't exactly see eye-to-eye."

"Oh. I don't see eye-to-eye with my mother either."

Haven and Nagisa sat in a comfortable silence. Neither one spoke, but words weren't needed. Just knowing that there was someone else around, that they were not alone was enough for now.

* * *

Karma put on his apron, then looked down between the pink frills and the embroidered heart. "You're not serious, are you?"

Fia pulled her hair back. "S-sorry," she started, "I got it for Haven, thinking we could make sweets together, before I realized that she can't cook at all."

Karma surveyed the kitchen. "I noticed."

Fia was really surprised by how easy it was to work next to Karma when he wasn't antagonizing her. He seemed to understand perfectly what she was looking for and always handed her the right spices. "How do you know so much about spices, Karma?"

He paused then looked at her with a smile. "I have my own spice collection. I don't mind cooking so it seemed almost natural. What about you?"

"M-me? Well… I'm fr-I'm Italian and I came to love cooking, just like my dad. Pass the timo, please?" He shot her a curious look. "Oh!" Fia blushed slightly. "I mean the thyme."

Karma let her grab the container from him but he didn't let it go. When she looked up questioningly at him, she found that he had a playful expression.

"I take it your last name, Timo, means 'thyme' then?" he asked.

"Si. Now hand it over before we overcook everything!" Fia responded flatly. She had heard this joke enough as a child to know that she didn't exactly appreciate it.

"Oh, c'mon. We have the 'thyme'' for it, don't you think?" he teased.

"D-don't you dare start this with me, Karma," she groaned.

"But I'm having the 'Timo' my life!"

"My name represents an important herb, not a manmade construct-"

"We always have the 'thyme' for a few jokes." Karma poked Fia's cheek her namesake's herb. "It's no fun to watch you cry."

She looked up at him and finally sighed. "I guess your karma isn't as bad as you make it out to be."

The redhead sweatdropped. "That was just as bad."

Fia began laughing. "I know, but you know-" Fia took a second's pause before putting her face an inch from his. She laughed and pulled back as she got the startled-and-slightly-flustered look she was hoping for. Remembering how he had treated her on the first day they had met, she put her hands on her hips and said, "you're not bad looking, you know that?" She laughed. "At least your surprised face isn't."

He growled slightly and opened his mouth to speak but both were interrupted by the beeping oven. The two looked from their dish in the oven to the other and both broke out in light laughter.

* * *

Narrator: Wow, I was tired when I wrote this…

Fia: Dio! What even happened today…?

Karma: You ate an elephant's share of food?

Fia: (face flushes) Sh-shut up! You had just as much as I did!

Karma: (laughing) You really are too easy to mess with. Seriously though, want to cook again sometime?

Fia: … You mean that? (beams a smile at him)

Karma: Sure, but I'm not wearing that apron again-

Fia: (pouts) But it's cute! (laughs) I'm kidding, I won't ask you to wear that again.

Gio: (tears stream down cheeks) I'm sad that I didn't get to see mia bella dressed so cutely-

Haven: What is he talking about Tsu-chan?

Fia: (blushes) U-uh…

Karma: Well-

Fia: Karma, please!

Gio: I want to know too, mia bambina~! Your cheeks are so red!

Fia: DAD! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE UNTIL A LATER CHAPTER! (pushes him out of commentary box in embarrassment and sighs) He's so childish!

Karma: Coming from the girl with glow-in-the-dark stars?

Fia: They're cute and the next best I have to the real thing! What do you keep in your room?

Karma: (malicious grin) You really want to find out?

Fia: (cringes) N-not really… I'm too exhausted and I respect Nagisa too much. I think I'll get to bed. Maybe you should get some rest too, Narrator.

Narrator: After the next chapter preview. Thank you for bearing with me through the stranger chapters! As a special treat, I'll update this thing sometime tomorrow. In the next chapter, we meet Ven and clothes go flying? Hon hon hon!


	5. Chapter 5: Laundry Time

"He's so adorable!" Fia put her face up to the cage. A pure white lump sat in the middle of a mound of wood shavings. Benny reached into the cage and picked the lump up. Fia's line of sight followed.

"What do you think, Haven?" he brought the guinea pig up to her face.

"It's cute, I guess," Haven shrugged and leaned back a bit.

"Want to hold him?" Benny asked.

"Umm, I think I'll pass," Haven stepped back slightly.

"Oh, can I hold him?" Fia piped up.

"Sure," Benny handed her the guinea pig and went to sit on a nearby chair. "Hey, next week I'm going on a long field trip. You mind watching Ven for me?"

"Of course not!" Fia sparkled as she rubbed her cheek against Ven's. Haven shrugged nonchalantly.

* * *

The four housemates crashed into each other, each holding a basket of laundry, or in Fia's case, the contents of her entire wardrobe.

Fia groaned and tightened her towel around her. TODAY WAS NOT HER DAY. First, all of the hot water had been used up by a particular redhead - when she had asked he had simply said that he had 'lost track of time.' Then her room ate her comb and her hair dryer had shorted out and exploded. Now, she watched on in horror as the last of her clothing became lost in the monster that was their fabric collision.

She happened to look up and make eye contact with Karma. He was grinning sadistically. Oh. Hell. No. He was not going to snatch away her clothes!

The four picked up as many of the random clothes as they could and fled to their rooms. Half an hour later, they began returning clothing by placing what was not theirs back in a pile. Strangely enough, none of the girliest clothing had been returned.

"Haven, is this yours?" Karma swung a pink bra in front of her.

"No, I don't wear one," Haven replied bluntly. Nagisa and Fia both began to blush.

"What? It's not like I need the support, besides they're really uncomfortable," Haven protested at her blushing friends. The pair turned even redder.

"Although, one would probably make that area look a bit bigger," Haven mused as Nagisa and Fia turned into tomatoes.

Fia covered her face with her hands. "CAN I HAVE THAT BACK NOW?!"

Karma laughed. "So this is yours? It's a little plain, even for you."

Fia felt as if someone had put her face on simmer. "B-bras are expensive!" she sputtered. "Plain isn't pricey!" Fia declared with a pout as she stormed over to the redhead. "G-give it back!"

Karma laughed and sling-shot it at Nagisa. It landed on the bluenette's face. Nagisa let out a startled noise of embarrassment before throwing the bra back to Fia, much to her relief.

"I have plenty more where that came from~" Karma chimed.

Fia blushed but she moved to hand Nagisa his vest. "Sorry if I stretched it, Nagisa," she apologized, "I thought it was mine until I realized it wouldn't button up past… Well, you know…"

Nagisa took his vest back appreciatively and looked down at the black shirt and pink tie he was wearing. "I'm actually really surprised that this fit."

Fia sweat-dropped as she looked between Nagisa, in Haven's black shirt and pink tie, and Haven who was wearing Nagisa's white shirt and black tie. "You guys… really don't look much different in each other's clothes…" she trailed off.

"You mean the other gender's clothes," Karma laughed as he dangled two pairs of underwear in Fia's face. "Are these yours?"

"EEP!" Fia involuntarily flinched back, landing in the terrible mountain of clothes that had resulted from the four housemates attempting to do laundry at the same time.

"That's mine," Haven said flatly as she snatched the boyshorts-style underwear from Karma's hand.

"And I'm still not buying that you're a girl, Haven" Karma teased. He looked at the panties in his hand. "... Is this skimpy silky thing yours, Fia?" He burst out laughing. "You never struck me as the type to wear-"

"GYAAAAHHH! GIVE THOSE BACK!" Fia scrambled to her feet and jumped for the bane of her existence, but Karma held it an inch too high for her to reach.

"So they are yours?!" Nagisa asked in shock. He covered his eyes with a hand, embarrassed that this whole ordeal was happening.

"T-they were a gift, o-okay?" Fia desperately tried to explain.

"From a boyfriend~?" Karma tickled her cheek with the panties.

Fia's face exploded with color and she resumed her jumping game. "No! N-nothing like th-that! My mom is a designer a-and she forces these th-things on me!"

Karma laughed and dropped the clothing into her hands. "If you say so."

"I DO SAY SO!" she yelled while balling the underwearing in her hand. Her pink cheeks puffed out as she tried to contain her anger.

"Now that I gave those back, can I have my shirt back?" Karma asked, pointing to the over-sized shirt Fia was wearing.

"U-uh… I'll wash it and get it back to you…" she murmured. "I-I don't have a-anything else… Angel's smaller than me and all of my clothes are lost in there-" Fia pointed to the monstrous amount of tangled clothes.

"Really? Nothing else?" Karma approached Fia with a devilish smile. "So you're not wearing anything under that?" he asked as he pulled up the bottom of her shirt just a tad.

"KYYYAAAAHHHH!" Fia screamed and started punching Karma's chest. He laughed and took the hits - they weren't hurting anyway - for a little bit before reaching down into the clothes pile and tossing a pair of jeans at her. "There. Those are yours, right?" he asked with a smile.

Fia pouted then looked down at the pair. They were definitely hers. "How could you tell?" she asked curiously.

"You're the only one who eats enough sweets to fit those," he said playfully.

Nagisa sighed and gave up on his housemates, resolving himself to sit down and attempt to sort through the gargantuan fabric pile.

Fia smiled bitterly. "Sure, I'm a little bit on the heavier side, but not enough to anchor me here and keep me from strangling you!" She put her hands on her hips. "You've got ten seconds."

Karma locked his hands behind his head and smirked. "This seems familiar."

"Ten-" Fia started.

"You don't scare me," laughed the redhead.

"Eight!" she spat as she reached down and grabbed a handful of clothes.

"What are you going to do? Make me play dress-up?" Karma readied himself to move. Fia was usually a little clumsy, but that didn't mean she wasn't fast when she wanted to be.

"Don't tempt me to call my little siblings out here. Four," Fia grinned as she balled up the clothing.

"Zero-" Karma called just as the auburn-haired girl began to chase him around the apartment complex and throw clothing as projectiles.

Haven sat down next to Nagisa and started folding clothes with him. Nagisa sweat-dropped. Fia and Karma's antics were only going to make it harder to sort through all of the clothes. He looked down at his tie and then to its quiet owner, who was very focused on the task at hand.

 _Pink isn't such a bad color_ Nagisa thought with a small smile.

* * *

"Hi, Fia," Nagisa said as he entered the living room and saw the girl pressed up against the side of Ven's cage. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Ven is sleeping. I just thought it was super carino~" Fia smiled at Nagisa and beckoned him over.

The bluenette walked over and peered into the cage. "He is kind of cute." Nagisa smiled.

Fia nodded vigorously. "I think I'll sew the little furry baby a cozy~"

"I'm sure he'd like that," Nagisa said. "By the way, Fia. I found this when folding the laundry. Is it yours?" He held up a small piece of paper.

"Oh, yeah!" She happily took the slip from Nagisa's hand. "These are just a few books I've been looking for." Fia skimmed the list in her hand.

Nagisa peeked over her shoulder. "I have some of those, actually. I might have to get someone to ship them from home, but I wouldn't mind lending them to you."

"Really? You have them?" Fia asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Nagisa grinned. "My favorite subject was English back in middle school so I found a lot of American books to read. As for the other things on your list…" He skimmed the rest of Fia's note. "If you find that book-" Nagisa pointed to one on the list "-would I be able to borrow it?"

"Sure! More research, huh…" Fia mused.

"What are you two up to?" Karma questioned as he ambled into the room.

Nagisa shook his head and his pigtails bobbed ever so slightly. "Just talking. Actually, I have to return a few more things to Haven," he admitted.

"You guys still haven't figured out whose clothes are whose?" Fia asked.

"Not yet," Nagisa replied. "I guess we're more similar in size and taste than we thought."

"What about you?" Karma poked Fia's forehead. "You plan to give me back my jacket anytime soon?"

She looked down the black overshirt she was wearing. "Mm… nope! I feel cool when I wear this!" Fia laughed and struck a 'James Bond' pose. The large sleeves drooped down around her wrists, as if the jacket was disappointed in her too.

Karma rolled his eyes and peered into the cage.

"Oi," Fia called. "Don't wake Ven up. He needs his cutie-sleep!"

"Is that supposed to be a bad play off of 'beauty sleep'?" Karma asked.

"... Maybe…" Fia smiled. Karma might not find her sense of humor to be humorous at all, but she appreciated that he'd humor anyway. She opened her mouth to crack another bad joke but saw that Karma seemed pretty content watching Ven drowsily crawl about. He had a slight smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his head. Fia was surprised, pleasantly surprised, so much so that she felt her cheeks warm.

"He's almost out of clean hay," Karma noted aloud.

"H-huh?" Fia came back to her senses. "Let me see." She stepped closer and Karma moved so they could both look into the cage. "Huh, you're right... " Fia unlatched the cage door and reached into pet the snow white creature. "Hey, Ven~ You're almost out of hay, Ven~" she crooned.

"Fia, did you say this was Benny's pet?" Nagisa asked.

"Yeah…" Fia trailed off.

"So… When Benny greets him, he says 'Hey, Ven.'" Karma laughed.

"It sounds like you're saying 'Haven,'" Nagisa said quietly.

It only took a second for Karma, Nagisa, and Fia to make eye contact.

Fia bit her lip. "So that's what that was about… Now I feel bad… BUT GUINEA PIGS ARE SO CUTE!" she whined. Fia blushed slightly at her sudden outburst. "It seemed like Benny really wanted to spend time with Haven… You know, alone? And he kept trying to talk to her, but you know how Haven can be a little stoic at times."

"So Gameboy has a crush," Karma stated.

"Do you really have to identify him by his like of Nintendo?" Nagisa asked.

"I call her by her personality type," the redhead replied, gesturing at Fia. "Right, Tsu-chan?" he laughed.

"H-hey!" Fia exclaimed. After a moment of thought, she sighed. "Well, what do we do about this? It's not really our business, but I'm friends with both of them…"

The girls' door opened and Haven walked out wearing a white shirt.

"Nagisa, is this yours?" Haven asked. "It looks kind of like one of mine, but I'm not sure."

Fia jumped slightly, started by Haven's sudden appearance. Reminded about changing clothes, Fia pulled off the black jacket and handed it to Karma. "Here, thanks for letting me use it."

"I didn't, but thanks anyway," Karma shrugged as he hung it on his shoulder.

"I'm not sure," Nagisa replied to Haven's question.

"Oh well. I'll be coding, so don't bother me,"Haven shrugged and went back into her room, closing the door behind her.

Fia moved quickly over to Nagisa and grabbed the bluenette by his shoulders. "WHAT DO I DO, NAGISA?!"

"W-why are you shaking me?!" Nagisa exclaimed.

"BECAUSE I DON'T TRUST KARMA FOR RELATIONSHIP ADVICE!" she countered.

"That doesn't explain why you're shaking me!" he protested as he grabbed her shoulders to steady the both of them.

"They're both my friends," Fia said in dismay. "I don't want to see any broken hearts!"

"You could try setting them up," Karma suggested with a shrug. "One date won't hurt."

"I… don't think I've ever seen her show interest in anyone, let alone Benny. Then again, Angel is pretty hard to read. I guess I can try to figure this out!" Fia optimistically cheered.

"With your terrible lying skills?" Karma asked with a smirk.

"I can hide things when I try! Y-you just caught me off guard!" Fia's face flushed.

"You're lying again~" he teased.

"I said I'd take care of it!" she snapped. "Hmph. I'll show you that Ms. Jelavic's acting classes haven't been lost on me!"

Nagisa sweat-dropped but smiled, hoping the best for all of his friends.

* * *

Fia pushed open the door to her and Haven's shared room and peered around. She found Haven in her usual spot at the matrix of computers. Fia walked around and sat herself down on Haven's bed. She thought of several things she could say, and several approaches, but she knew Haven was a straight-forward person.

"Angel," Fia called softly. "Do you have a minute?"

"Free dot set time open parenthesis 60 close parenthesis semicolon return," Haven muttered.

"Thanks, I know you're busy. So, I was wondering what you thought of Benny," she said tentatively.

" . dot print open parenthesis quotation mark why end quotation mark end parenthesis semicolon return," Haven replied.

Fia hesitated. "Because… it seems like he wants to hang out sometime soon," she started. "It seems like he wants to hang out when he gets back, just the two of you, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay with that. You know, considering that he always seems to like teasing you, just like when we first moved in," Fia explained smoothly-or at least she hoped she had.

"If open parenthesis tease is true close parenthesis open bracket want to hang out is false semicolon return end bracket."

Fia sighed. "I doubt that he wants to tease you when you hang out. I think he's serious this time. So what's your answer going to be?"

"If open parenthesis Tsu-chan is true close parenthesis open bracket Haven is true semicolon return end bracket. Else open bracket Haven is false semicolon return end bracket."

The Italian face-palmed. "I can only interpret so much code, Angel. Anyway, so you really won't go without me?"

Haven nodded her head.

Fia shook her head with a smile. It wasn't English, but it wasn't head-splitting code either. "Okay, um, how about I bring a friend then and it can be a-" she coughed to cover her words, "-a double date?" Her cheeks burned at the thought. She hadn't been on a date since… ever? Who had time for boys when chemistry came calling?

"Nagisa," Haven said.

"Eh?" Fia replied with a blank expression. "What about him?"

"I'll go if he goes," Haven replied. Her words were slightly disjointed as if she wasn't used to speaking the language.

Fia paused to think. "I can probably get him to come."

"System dot out dot print open parenthesis quotation mark 好 end parenthesis quotation mark semicolon return," Haven replied.

"I'm just going to pretend I know what you said," Fia said flatly as she hopped off of Haven's bed. Fia left Haven to her coding, programming, computer-y stuff and left the room.

She found Nagisa writing down notes in a small notepad and Karma sleeping on the couch. Upon closer inspection, Fia saw that Ven was sleeping on Karma's face. She didn't know how the white fluffball had managed to do that, but she laughed. Fia walked over the couch and draped Karma's jacket across him before picking up Ven and carrying him over to the other couch. Fia sat down next to Nagisa and placed the drowsy guinea pig in her lap.

"Can I ask you for a favor, Nagisa?" she inquired quietly.

The bluenette's eyes shifted from the paper to the person and he smiled. "Sure, what is it?"

* * *

Fia: (going through her clothes) HEY! KARMA!

Karma: Yes, Tsu-chan?

Fia: GIVE. IT. BACK.

Karma: I have no idea what you're talking about.

Fia: YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! GIVE ME BACK MY BRA!

Karma: Don't have it~

Fia: Th-then what did you d-do with it?!

Karma: It might be hanging outside our window like a flag. Gee, I wonder how it got out there!

Fia: (shrieks and runs to go get it in a fluster while Karma laughs)

Nagisa: Where did Fia go?

Karma: Something about finding support (smirks)

Nagisa: Oh, I was going to tell her that I had the books she wanted shipped.

Fia: (runs to her room and comes back in a huff) Please, don't do that again! It's so hard to find these types of things in my size! (incoherent and flustered babbling)

Nagisa: So, Fia. When did you want me to do that thing you asked for?

Haven: What thing?

Fia: H-heh. We'll find out in just a couple chapters! (sweat drops) Narrator?

Narrator: Next time, (reads script) Wait… WHAT!? Audience, I shrunk the girls!

Karma: Is that supposed to be a bad take on "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids"?


	6. Chapter 6: Mini Time

Fia rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up in bed. The dawn's light was just beginning to peek through the curtains. Deep down, Fia knew that she should try to get more sleep each night if she didn't want her daily classes to completely burn her out. Still, it was her habit to get up early on weekends - call it the curse of the breakfast-bringer. Fia stretched and swung her feet off the bed while letting out a long yawn. She hopped down and shuffled over to check her calendar posted on the wall by her desk.

"September is already coming to an end," she mused quietly to herself. Had it really already been a month since they had moved in and started school? Was it really almost time for the dreaded Parents' Weekend? Checking one last time to make sure that she had nothing to do for the day except homework, Fia made her way to the bathroom to freshen up and change.

Once ready, the Italian girl resolved herself to make a brunch torte while watching a movie. She thought she could handle the drama - as her family was bred from it - but she still ended up feeling completely dejected by the end of the film. Fia felt so terrible that she had to sit down at the counter to think. The girl ran her hand through her hair, thankfully untangled by then, as she thought. While she did know the meaning of loss, she had never thought of what it would be like to watch someone she loved struggle for their life. If only there had been an easier way to deal with the character's symptoms...

Fia sat up and opened the cabinet under the sink, pulling out several heavy-duty containers marked with intense warnings. She hauled her bounty over the living room where she set up her miniature chemistry lab. Fia looked around at her chemicals and felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. Chemicals were fun; they didn't talk back and she could get exactly the right reaction she was looking for. Swearing to herself, Fia began working on a chemical solution.

It wasn't long before Haven got up too; she had a few things she wanted to work on before the apartment became noisy, as it usually did on weekends. Weekdays were generally peaceful enough and only had the occasional (one-sided) bickering between Fia and Karma, with side interjections from Nagisa. She wished she could say the same about weekends, but they were always significantly more eventful.

Haven brushed her teeth and donned her usual button-up shirt and tie before walking out into the hall. She was actually mildly surprised that she didn't see Fia in the kitchen, but she immediately noticed her roommate in the living room and wasn't surprised in the slightest. Haven had her computer, Fia had her chemicals.

Haven approached Fia and sat down next to her. "What are you doing, Tsu-chan?" she asked.

Fia murmured to herself as she let three drops of a blue liquid fall into a beaker with pink liquid. Satisfied, Fia put down the dropper and removed her goggles. "Morning, Angel. Nothing much - just working on a solution to help combat the accelerated growth of malignant tumors." She paused to make some mental calculations before putting her goggles back on and grabbing a test tube filled with a cherry-red substance.

Haven smiled slightly, understanding Fia's passion, borderline-obsession, that mirrored her own. "What's that-"

"Did you need someth-"

Both girls began to speak and turn towards each other at the same time. What should have been a friendly exchange blew up in their faces - or made the chemicals do so at the very least. The goggle-clad girl got the worst of it as she choked on the colorful cloud coming from the liquid splattered on her person. Haven hadn't escaped the chemical onslaught either, but she was still able to pull Fia to her feet and open the windows in the hope that the room would air out.

"Are you okay, Tsu-chan?" Haven asked with concern.

Fia nodded, still coughing. "Yes, but the experiment was incomplete so I'm not sure what the side effects are-" she managed to cough out before her body began to shake. Alarmed, Haven approached Fia but, by the time she had reached her friend, Haven could no longer find Fia. The only things she could see were the pile of clothes left in Fia's place.

"Tsu-chan?!" Haven called, worried.

"D-down here!"

Haven looked down to see a three-inch-tall girl poking her head out from one of the shirt's sleeves.

"I-I think the shrinking agent took effect!" the shorter version of Fia exclaimed. Haven had to kneel down to hear the girl. "Angel, I sewed some clothes for my little sister's dolls. They're in our room. Can you get them?" Pleading, Fia returned to the confines of the limp shirt. As Haven nodded and turned to leave, Fia added, "And please hurry! It could start affecting you too!"

Haven retrieved the doll clothes from their room and shoved an extra set into her pants pocket just in case the chemicals would start to affect her too. She went to the living room to get Fia. After she let her shrunken roommate change, Haven grabbed her and took her to the kitchen where she placed her in an open thyme container on the counter. "I'll be right back," Haven said as she went to find the one person she thought could help.

Pushing open the door to the guys' room, Haven called, "Nagisa! Are you awake?"

The bluenette looked up from where he was reading on his bed. "Yeah, is everything okay, Haven?" The normally composed girl was wearing a slight air of concern, which concerned him in turn.

Karma groaned and rolled over in his bed. His and Nagisa's profession didn't exactly allow for heavy sleeping. He pushed himself out of bed and made his way to the kitchen. No way in hell was he going to listen to those two drone on in boring conversation when he could just make himself a little bit of breakfast instead.

As Karma grumpily exited the room, Haven turned back to Nagisa. "Fia and I-" she started, but it was too late. Before she knew it, she was enclosed in the dark fabric of her shirt. Well, that was that. She indifferently found her way to her pants pocket and pulled on the clothes that were there.

Alarmed, Nagisa ran over to where the clothes were lying crumpled on the floor. "Haven?!" A few moments later, a miniature Haven emerged from the pile, fixing a miniature pink tie. Nagisa was puzzled by how Haven's miniature clothes were model versions of her normal ones.

Meanwhile, Karma found the living room and kitchen in a worrisome disarray. He ambled into the kitchen first, having had his attention caught by something moving in a jar.

"Fia?" he asked, surprised to see the girl pacing among the herb leaves.

"K-Karma?!" she exclaimed, startled by his sudden appearance. Fia fell over, causing the shredded bits of thyme to fly all around her like autumn leaves.

Nagisa walked into the kitchen with a smaller Haven sitting on his shoulder and hanging onto the collar of his shirt for balance.

"Haven too?" Karma questioned the two who had just walked in.

Nagisa nodded. "Apparently, Fia's experiment caused this," he explained, referencing the two tiny females. Turning to Fia, Nagisa asked "Fia, is there any way to fix this?"

Fia thought for a moment. "Because of the low dosage and the fact that we inhaled the chemicals as opposed to ingesting it as it ought to have been," she hypothesized, "we should go back to being our normal sizes by the end of the day. Would you please clean up, Nagisa?" Fia pleaded. "I know science is your least favorite subject, but I trust you most to handle it."

Nagisa nodded and moved to the living room to sort through the disaster there. Karma waited for Nagisa and Haven to put some distance between themselves and the kitchen before stealthily screwing on the lid of the thyme jar.

"Karma… What are you doing?" Fia paled.

The redhead laughed. "Giving you a 'thyme' out," he said as he began to shake the jar a little. Fia couldn't hold her ground. What was a gentle shake by human standards was most definitely an earthquake by miniaturized-human standards. To make matters worse, the thyme in the jar flew around her like a tornado. By the time Karma had ceased shaking the jar, Fia was in a never-ending sneezing fit. She glowered at him with pink cheeks, watery eyes, and a runny nose.

Nagisa sighed. "Don't hurt her, Karma," he called from the living room as he finished dealing with the chemicals. He returned to the kitchen to wash his hands and free Fia from the confines of her glassy prison.

"Leave Tsu-chan alone!" Haven pouted with crossed arms from Nagisa's shoulder.

Fia rolled out of the jar and landed flat on the marble counter with an "oof!" and an "ouchie…" The little one sat up and rubbed her head. To her dismay, Karma was the first to pick her up.

Karma held her in the palm of one of his hands and smiled as he poked her round cheek with the tip of his finger. She whined and tried to bat his finger away, but her efforts were futile. He experimented on his own, poking at Fia in different places to see how she'd react. She liked having her head pat, got angry when her feet were poked at, and was ticklish almost everywhere else. Fully entertained, Karma laughed as Fia sat down, huffing, with her arms crossed and back turned towards him.

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "What do we do now?" he asked.

"Just wait," Haven replied simply. "That's what we had to do last time… and the time before that… and the time before that."

"It was only twice - and I can't wait!" Fia protested. "I was going to do the groceries today!"

"And I was going to code," the white-haired girl replied.

Karma grinned. "Why does it not surprise me that this has happened before?"

"Sh-shut up! Being fluorescent wasn't that bad!" Fia attempted to defend her experiments.

"Sure it wasn't. Benny wouldn't be seen with us for a week," Haven replied.

"... Well, we were positively glowing! … Hehe… Heh…" Fia sighed and started banging her head on Karma's fingers, as if they were a wall, in frustration. Haven face-palmed.

"I can get the groceries," Nagisa offered, trying to end the small quarrel.

"Do you know what you need to get?" Karma asked through a lazy yawn.

The bluenette sighed. "No, but it wouldn't be hard to make a list."

The redhead smirked. "Does that mean I get to watch the girls?"

"On second thought, why don't you go shopping?" Nagisa may have phrased it as a question, but it was certainly more of a statement than a request.

With that, it was decided that Karma would run errands with Fia to be a voice of reason sitting on his shoulders - more or less literally - and that Nagisa and Haven would stay at the apartment.

* * *

Haven began pacing on her desk, sometimes climbing onto various objects.

"I'm bored!" Haven pouted and sat on the edge of her desk.

"We could play a board game," Nagisa suggested from the swivel chair.

"Fine, how about go?" Haven suggested as she began to clear an area of the desk for the two to play on.

A few moves into the game, Haven looked like she was about to collapse.

"The pieces are so heavy!" She complained as she picked up another white stone and wobbled onto the board. Nagisa took it out of her hands.

"Let's play a different game," he suggested and pulled out a set of cards.

"Umm… These things are as tall as I am," Haven stood next to the card box. After that, they tried various other games before finally deciding on chess.

"Pawn to G-4," Haven ordered from atop a white rook. Nagisa moved her piece.

* * *

Karma used his straw to place a few droplets of soda in Fia's tiny hands. She hummed and gleefully drank it up from where she was tucked into his shirt's chest pocket. He smiled down at her and pat the girl's head with a finger.

"Where are we headed?" Karma asked as he chugged down the remainder of his soda.

"We're going to the world market!" Fia declared with a triumphant smile. "To conquer the foods of the world!"

"You to buy more Italian ingredients?" Karma gave Fia a skeptical look.

"French, actually. Hon hon hon~" Fia giggled. "Well, you're from Kyoto, right? I was hoping that you might want to make some Japanese dishes," the tiny girl admitted.

Karma was quiet for a few moments, deep in thought. "I guess I could cook up a few things."

Fia's eyes sparkled. "Would you wear-"

"No," Karma poked the girl's rounded cheek. "We're already here anyway." He made his way into the superstore and got a cart. Karma placed Fia inside one of the cart's cupholders and began browsing the aisles, grabbing whatever he thought they would need over the next week or so.

"Karma! Watch where you toss those!" Fia demanded as the corner of a cereal box nearly nicked her forehead on its descent into the cart.

"Sorry," he said. Karma wheeled them over to the fruit stands and searched for ripened fruits.

Fia scrambled out of the cupholder, dangled from the cart handle, and swung her way to the colorful fruits as if she were on monkey bars. It was more difficult to scale the pile of granny apples than she had anticipated. As she attempted to climb the mountain, she slipped and sent a bunch of apples running down towards the floor.

"LANDSLIDE!" she squealed as she attempted to throw herself over and under the falling fruit. Karma turned to see a bunch of apples rolling down the stand next to him. He watched with wide eyes as Fia dodged for dear life. "THIS IS WORSE THAN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL!" she cried. The girl jumped from the apples to the oranges to the tomatoes to the grapes before her foot got tangled in a vine and she fell flat on her face.

Karma sweat dropped as many people stopped to stare at the fruity calamity. He quickly put the fruits back on their respective stands and grabbed the bunch of grapes Fia was tangled in before placing them in the cart and moving to another, less conspicuous area of the store. He stopped at the refrigerated vegetable shelves and peered into the cart. He found Fia taking tiny bites out of the grapes around her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Trying to eat my way free!" she declared fiercely as she began her vicious attack on the grapes once again. The redhead shook his head and reached over to untangle her, resulting in a happy "I thought I was a goner, thanks!"

Karma placed the girl on one of the vegetable shelf racks under a black nozzle. "You have a little something there - well, everywhere actually," Karma said with an amused tone of voice.

"Eh?" Fia looked down and saw that she was indeed covered in sticky fruit juices. She blushed and pouted. "Well, I can't do anything about that!" she whined. Karma smiled and pointed at the black nozzles. Fia's gaze followed. "What-?" Just as she began to speak, she heard a 'beep' and mist started cascading down from the nozzle.

Fia was startled at first, but she began quickly to scrape off any bits of goo she could find. She looked up and saw that Karma was watching her with slight interest. She blushed profusely and grabbed a baby carrot only to chuck it at his face. "PERV!" she yelled as she hid behind a head of broccoli.

The redhead laughed and turned away to give her a few more minutes, but some happy singing caught his attention. Karma looked over his shoulder and was surprised to find that Fia was thoroughly soaked and singing "Singing in the Rain" very happily as she skipped around and danced with a mushroom. He wasn't sure if he should think that her actions were cute or just outright weird. After a moment or two, he offered Fia his hand. She glanced up at him and then at the hand before fashioning his hand into an ideal dance partner. They spent a few moments like that, laughing and dancing, before the sprinkler stopped and they had to move on.

Fia dried herself off with a napkin as Karma browsed through the poultry, meat, and seafood sections. He got a few things that Fia didn't particular care to notice in her drenched-and-shivering state, but he also bought a few crabs. As Karma began to push the cart to the dairy and frozen food aisles, Fia peered over into the paper bag of crabs. One rubber-banded claw extended towards her and she kicked it away in a panic before scrambling back to the seat of the cart where she could stay out of site of the crustacean creature.

"D-did I get him?" Fia asked Karma in her state of panic.

He laughed. "You sure did. You really showed that crab who's the queen of the cart." Karma picked Fia up and gently set her down next to the eggs. "I'm going to grab the milk and ice cream. You find the uncracked eggs," he instructed as he turned and headed down the aisle.

Fia nodded and began opening the cartons of eggs one-by-one. Being small, she was able to inspect them a lot more closely. She was about to declare that she had found the perfect dozen when she felt herself being hoisted up by the back of her shirt and came face-to-face with two small boys.

"What's that?" asked the smaller, seemingly younger boy as he wiped snot from his nose.

"Dunno," replied the older boy, "maybe it's a defective chicken?"

Fia sweatdropped. They had to be kidding, right? Despite her disbelief, she held in a sigh and refused to move, hoping the boys would think she was a doll and lose interest in her.

"It looks like a doll!" declared the younger boy.

The older kid nodded and made a face of disgust. "Why do girls like these stupid toys anyway?" he questioned as he tossed Fia back onto the carton of eggs. A few of the eggshells cracked and their pointed edges precariously poked at the tiny girl's skin.

"OUCH!" she cried. Fia floundered a little bit and only accomplished becoming more ensnared in the eggs' sticky yolks. "Eeewwww…" she groaned and tried to flail some of the liquid off.

"Woah!" the boys exclaimed as they both rushed in to grab her. Fia was roughly pulled from hand to hand. "It talks!"

One laughed. "And it hurts too!" He yanked on Fia's hair and laughed as she winced.

"How come it talks?" the other asked.

"Who cares?" The older boy turned Fia upside down and started squishing her face into what was left of the broken eggs. She flailed and kicked her legs but an inch and a half of legs wasn't going to free her anytime soon - she knew that. Instead, she tried to keep herself from choking on and, worse, drowning in the yellow slime.

"And what do you two think you're doing?"

The two boys turned around and Fia gasped for air, sputtering, as she was pulled away from the boys. She wiped the slime from her eyes and looked up to see that it was Karma that had come to her rescue. She almost smiled at him, but she noticed that something wasn't quite right about him. She couldn't see his eyes under the shadow hiding his face and she noticed that he was deathly quiet for a man who usually ran his mouth without a filter. Karma placed her gingerly in the cart and turned back towards the boys.

"You know it's not nice to pick on little girls," Karma said coldly. Rage fiercely burned in the one eye that peeked through his red bangs. "Someone should really teach you kids a lesson." Karma took a step towards the boys and they looked absolutely petrified. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. I'll go easy on you if you piss yourselves and run away now, but after all you've put Fia through, I might not want to let you out of this unharmed."

The boys both began to cry and more snot ran down their faces than before. One boy's knees were knocking together and the other was trembling from head to toe.

Karma smiled at the boys, a now cheerful smile gracing his face. "Actually, if you apologize to my friend and promise to never bully anyone again, I might just decide to let you go. Do we have a deal?"

The boys nodded their heads stiffly, obviously slightly paralyzed with fear. "We're sorry!" they both cried in unison.

"Alright, you can go," Karma said softly, "but don't forget how this feels. This is how you made her feel," Karma gestured towards Fia. He kneeled down to be at eye-level with the kids. "This is why we can't bully people. You understand?"

The boys nodded, looked at each other, and then ran as if their lives depended on it.

Karma silently returned to the cart and wrapped Fia in another napkin. He wheeled the cart over to the check-out lines and paid for the items. Slipping Fia onto his shoulder as he exited the grocery store, Karma shifted the weight of the heavy bags in his hands and began the long trek home.

Fia was the first to break the silence. "Karma? I'm really sorry about the egg incident…"

Karma stopped in his tracks and gave Fia a questioning look. "Why are you apologizing for that?"

"Well, m-maybe if I had been more careful - " Fia started to apologize again but she got a finger to her lips… Well, considering how small she was, it was more like a poke to her entire face. She puffed out her pink cheeks and shot Karma a protesting pout.

"Don't worry about it," he said with a sweat drop and a slight smile. "It wasn't your fault." He began walking again and Fia scooted up his shoulder until she could curl up against his neck, much to his surprise. "Hhgn." The noise was involuntary. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but it wasn't something he was used to either.

"Karma?" Fia started again.

"What is it?" he exhaled slowly. "I already told you not to apologize."

"It's not that…" she murmured. "I just wanted to thank you… for treating those kids so gently at the end. I think they really did learn their lesson," Fia whispered with a smile.

Karma looked down in surprise at the tiny girl on his shoulder. She wasn't thanking him for saving her, but rather for being nice to the people who had put her through hell? Fia noticed his expression.

She blushed immediately and tried to articulate an explanation. "I deal with a lot of… um, difficult children," she said slowly. "I think you really got through to them, and I'm really happy because of that, so… Thank you, Karma" Fia said delightedly.

Karma blushed ever so slightly and he glared off into the distance. "It was a lesson I learned the hard way…" Karma said forcedly. "But Nagisa and I really did have the best teacher." The redhead smiled a little and nudged Fia with his chin. "You're welcome. Ready to go home?"

She nodded and swung her legs a little bit. "Always!" Fia laughed. "But go slowly - the view from up here is nice~!"

* * *

As Karma and Fia walked through the door, they heard a shout from the bedroom. Karma set the groceries down in the kitchen and walked over to the room where the shouts were coming from. He and Fia peered inside and found Nagisa and Haven playing chess on the bed.

"Ahhh! Stalemate again!" Haven cried. The chessboard was void of all pieces except a black king and a white king. Haven was situated quite comfortably on top of a white rook on the sidelines.

Nagisa chuckled. "Do you want to play again, Haven?"

"You tied with Nagisa? I'm impressed," Karma called from where he was leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh, welcome back," Nagisa said with a welcoming smile. He turned to Fia. "Karma didn't give you too much trouble, did he?" he expressed his concern freely.

Fia shrugged. "I can't egg-xagerate when I say it was eventful. We hit a few bumps and had walked on shells here and there, but I had an egg-celent time anyway." After a moment more of thought, she added, "And Karma made me queen of the cart!"

He shook his head with a smile. "You're the chatelaine of chickens," Karma said sarcastically. "The stewardess of slime," he added, referencing the fact that she was covered in drying egg yolk.

"E-eheheh…" Fia laughed dryly as Karma carried her off to the bathroom. She watched as he grabbed a change of clothes for her, filled a bowl with warm water and a little bit of soap, and set the said bowl down on the sink.

"I'll be outside if you need anything," Karma called over his shoulder as he exited the room. He made his way back to Nagisa and Haven. "What have you two been up to?" he queried.

"Chess," Haven replied. "We've had two stalemates so far."

Karma whistled. "Must have been two really long games of chess."

Nagisa touched his friend's arm with a sigh. "Karma, you really didn't pick on Fia today?"

The redhead feigned hurt. "I'm insulted, Nagisa! Why would I ever pick on our housemate? We're all just here to get along."

Nagisa face-palmed but he let it go for the moment and turned his attention back to his partner in pink. "What do you want to do now, Haven?"

Karma left the bedroom and returned to the bathroom. He knocked on the door. "Fia?"

"Come in!" she called.

Karma pushed open the door and looked around. He found Fia sitting on a rubber duck as she tried to comb her hair with a proxabrush and tie her hair back with some floss. Smiling, he dumped out the contents of the bowl and began washing Fia's discarded egg-covered clothes.

"You know," Fia said as she finished fashioning a ponytail, "I never thought that my doll-making habit would come in handy. I mean, these fit perfectly!" she laughed as she looked down.

"Dolls?" Karma questioned.

"Yeah, I have a cute little _sorellina!_ " Fia laughed. "She's the spawn of Satan!" The girl shuddered and slid off of the rubber duck just as Karma set the wet clothes to the side to dry. "I don't think I'll be able to help you out with the cooking tonight… but I would love to help clean Ven's cage!"

Karma laughed. "Fair enough." He held his hand out for Fia to climb into. Exiting into the hall, Karma called "Nagisa!"

"Yes, Karma?" Nagisa asked as he walked into the living room, a miniature Haven clinging to his right pigtail.

"I'm going to get started on dinner," Karma said as he handed Fia off to the bluenette. "Would you help her take care of Ven?"

Nagisa nodded and the group split up. As Karma walked into the kitchen, Nagisa made his way to Ven's cage. "What should I do?"

"You need to bring over a trash can, some clean newspapers, and some fresh hay. Can you put us in the cage so we can start moving Ven's furniture?"

Nagisa nodded and gently placed the girls beside Ven before dutifully running off the get the requested items. Fia waved Nagisa off and turned to greet Ven, but she was shocked by what she saw. Being a male white guinea pig without playmates, Ven had taken an extreme liking to the white-haired Haven and had begun to chase her around the cage, making odd squeaking noises. Flustered by the sight, Fia exclaimed and ran after Ven.

"VEN, NO!" she shouted.

Haven managed to scale the guinea pig wheel from behind and found a safe spot atop the highest point of curvature. Fia, who had somehow gotten stuck on Ven's back, squeaked in fear as the furball jumped onto the wheel and began to run. She clung to his fur for dear life but the motion was too erratic for her to hold on. In contrast to Haven who was easily jogging on top of the wheel, Fia fell flat onto her back and began tumbling continuously as Ven ran more. The wheel squeaked loudly as it spun and Nagisa came running back as soon as he heard the commotion.

Nagisa threw open the cage door and gently removed Ven before stopping the wheel and rescuing Haven and Fia. "Are you alright?" he asked tentatively.

Tears welled in Fia's eyes as she nursed the bumps and bruises. "Fine…" she whined.

Haven crawled up Nagisa's arm until she managed to nestle herself atop of his head once again. "Thanks, Gisa!"

Nagisa followed Fia's instructions on how to clean the cage with Haven on his head the entire time. Every time Ven seemed to notice her, she hid behind a blue pigtail. After the cage was clean, Nagisa took Fia and Haven to the kitchen.

"No!" Fia protested from his shoulder. "Haven is not allowed in the kitchen, not even at this size!"

"What harm could I do at this size?" Haven climbed down one of Nagisa's pigtails to talk to her friend. Fia just glared at her.

In the meantime, Karma left the pot on the stove to boil and moved to the freezer. He grabbed a few ice cubes and dropped them into a ziplock bag, which he sealed then smashed against the counter. Musing, he opened the bag and began removing tiny shards of ice, which he wrapped in little pieces of napkins. He brought over the pieces of ice and grabbed the glaring Fia from where she stood on Nagisa's shoulder.

"Hold still," he ordered as he pressed some of the wrapped ice shards against the bumps on her head.

"Owie…" she whined. Being unable to help squirming, she pouted. "That's cold, dammit!"

"That's the point. If you want, I could drop you in the boiling pot instead," he suggested.

"Eep!" Fia held still to the best of her ability and blushed. "I can do that myself…"

Karma shoved a piece of ice in her mouth in response and set her down on the counter. Fia protested with a lot of grumbling, but she resolved herself to just let Karma help her out.

"What's this?" Haven asked as she pulled a container out of one of the many cabinets. She had somehow climbed into the cabinet above the stove.

"Oi! Get down from there!" Fia yelled, spitting out the ice from her mouth. Startled, Haven began to lose her balance and fell with the container towards the pot below.

Nagisa pushed Karma out of his way and ran towards her, arm outstretched to catch her. She landed softly in his palm. The container was not so lucky and fell into the boiling water. Nagisa hissed as the splash hit his hand.

"Oh, Nagisa! Are you okay?" Haven asked worriedly. Nagisa placed her on his shoulder and inspected his hand.

"It's nothing much," he smiled slightly. Haven looked downcast as she nestled herself in the crook of his neck.

Fia flinched back and hid behind Karma's hand, unable to bear the sight of what just happened. "What did I just tell you…?" she muttered.

'Hey, Nagisa," Karma called. "Heads up!" The redhead threw the bluenette the bag of ice. "Should help a little." Karma ran to rescue his beloved stew.

Fia sighed. "Toothpaste helps too…" she mumbled. "Cooling agents and whatnot…" She looked as if the emotions annoyed and worried had become personified and were dueling it out in her mind. "We better not let things like this happen next weekend…"

"What's next weekend?" Nagisa asked curiously as he treated his hand.

The girl paled visibly. "Parents' Weekend."

"Parents' Weekend," Haven repeated with a shudder. She too would have paled if she didn't already look like a ghost.

Karma sighed in relief as he fished out the spice container with a ladle. "So you mean we get to meet the people who spawned you?" he called.

"You're the one who's a demon here!" Fia declared in rebuttal. She groaned and a forlorn string of what sounded like dying Italian rolled off of her tongue. "You don't understand… Parents' Weekend only has one other name!" She paused. "HELL!"

* * *

Fia: (stretches) Ah! It's good to be normal-sized again!

Haven: I kind of liked being small.

Karma: (teasingly) I didn't see much of a difference, chemicals or not.

Haven: I'm not that small you know. What exactly did I drop into the soup?

Karma: Chili powder. Hope you can take the heat.

Fia: (staring at Karma) Chu….

Karma: … What…?

Fia: (teary eyes - mutters quietly) I miss being able to sit on your shoulder… (blushes profusely) I-I m-mean I just g-got some p-pepper in my eyes i-is all! H-haha hahaha… (nervous laughter)

Narrator: Right, well before this gets too long, I'll get on with the preview. Two words: Parents' Weekend!

Fia: HELL! One word! ONE WORD!

Haven: (in a dark dark corner, drawing circles with her finger on the ground)

Karma: Can I harvest those mushrooms when you're done? (laughing)

Fia: (goes to sit by Haven, mimicking her actions except for the fact that she's drawing out chemical bonds instead of circles)

Nagisa: It can't be that bad, can it?


	7. Chapter 7:Parents' Weekend Time

Fia and Haven dragged themselves out of bed, slowly but surely since they both knew there was no way to get out of their predicament. Parents' Weekend was one of the few rare occasions when Fia would refuse to get up early on a weekend and that Haven didn't immediately take to coding. Instead, both girls could be found tidying up the house - or, in Fia's case, removing all of the chemicals from their apartment and dragging them down to a nearby storage locker facility. She refused to endanger her family or let her family endanger her with their brash behavior.

Fia donned a white, collared button-up shirt under a pin-striped, empire-waist jumper. She rolled the sleeves of her shirt up to her elbows and tied a green ribbon around her neck in the place of a tie. Pulling on dark stockings and running a brush quickly through her tangled mass of hair, Fia ran out to wait in the living room with Haven. She sat poised like a doll - If she didn't seem perfect by the time her mother arrived, there would be hell. Haven and she shared sympathetic glances.

Haven was dressed in a nice white blouse, pleated black skirt, and black knee-high socks. She wasn't wearing her normal tie, but opted instead for a droopy, oversized pink bow. She too sat up straighter than she had since this time last year.

The girls noticed the boys had just gotten up. Nagisa smiled and Karma yawned as the two found their way into the living room.

"Good morning," Nagisa called. He took note of their nervous dispositions and rigid postures. "It'll be alright," he tried to reassure them. Both girls murmured something incoherently in response.

Karma, by contrast, made his way to the couch and took a closer look at the girls. "Are you two actually wearing skirts?" he laughed.

Haven shrugged, "My mother wants me to."

Fia blushed profusely. "Sh-shut up…" The redhead stepped back and whipped out his phone, snapping a few pictures. Fia jumped to her feet and, cheeks on fire, she tried to grab the phone from him. "What was that for?!" she demanded.

"Entertainment, duh~" he responded with a smirk.

Nagisa face-palmed. "So it's come back to this," he sighed.

"You know, Nagisa. I still have that picture from the class trip and those - "

"DELETE THOSE ALREADY!"

Feeling dejected, Fia sat back down on the couch. "Why did I have to wear this…?"

Karma laughed. "C'mon, even Haven is wearing a skirt, and you don't hear her complaining about it. You know, Haven, in certain fields of work, there's a great advantage to being able to pull off both genders - ask Nagisa."

"Karma," Nagisa sighed. "Just leave the girls alone."

Fia opened her mouth to speak, but she heard a knock at the door. "Behave yourself," she mouthed to Karma as she went to the door. Taking a deep breath, Fia slowly turned the lock. It flew open with a bang, sending Fia sprawling. Two teenagers rushed in, both locking arms and dressed in navy blue school uniforms. They looked around with sharply observant eyes until their shared gaze fell on Fia.

"Ah, _Sorella_ is on the floor," they both said flatly. "You're such a clutz!" Giggles harmonized as the two yanked Fia onto her feet.

Fia winced, but she gently patted the twins' heads. "Mio, Mia. It's good to see you again."

"Hahaha!" they laughed mischievously. "It won't be soon enough!" the two chided.

"Mio, Mia," a stern voice called. The three turned to see an elegantly dressed man and woman enter through the doorway. The woman removed her sunglasses and handed it to the pre-teen boy clinging to the back of her black and gold designer dress. The man removed a young girl from his shoulders and placed her on the floor before taking the time to straighten out his suit.

"Fia," the woman said calmly, "I see that you are well."

By contrast, the man rushed to grab Fia in a gigantic bear hug. "MIA BAMBINA!" he cried as he rubbed his stubbled cheek against hers.

"M-Mami! P-Papino!" she choked out.

The small girl scowled. "What about me?" she demanded.

The large man reluctantly released Fia. "But Guadalupe…" he whined, "we haven't seen your _sorella_ in forever!"

"Giovanni," the woman warned. "Do you plan to keep our daughter all to yourself?"

He laughed, a deep, hearty laugh. "Not at all, _mi amore_ Florence! Gio~ Come stand by your _Papino_ for awhile! What do you say?"

The pre-teen sighed and turned his nose up at his father's offer. "I think I'll pass. Seriously, how did I get named after the likes of you!?" he spat.

Giovanni's eyes flooded with tears of hurt. "How could you say something like that to your dad!?"

Florence approached Fia and grasped her face in her hands. Fia sweat-dropped, knowing that she was being put under extreme scrutiny at that very moment. Florence sighed and turned away, rubbing her temples as if to show her extreme annoyance and disappointment.

In the meantime, the twins seemed to be literally kicking their dad while he was down. Roaring, Giovanni lept to his feet and began chasing the twins around. Despite his angry expression, the three were laughing.

Fia smiled warily and looked to her little brother. "How are you, Gio?" she asked politely.

"What's it to you?" he grumbled. His cheeks flushed pink. "It's not like you care."

"That's not true, and you know it," Fia said with a sigh.

Nagisa and Karma sweat-dropped simultaneously. This was Fia's family? Sure, the girl had her outbursts now and then, but that was nothing compared to the level of noise her family was making. Crashes and yells resounded all around them, causing the apartment to shake slightly.

Haven remained tense, but, as usual, she remained indifferent to the chaotic Timo family.

Frustrated by the lack of attention being given to her, Lupe stormed over to the living room. That's where she caught sight of Karma. Instantly enchanted by the redhead's good looks, she skipped over to him with glittering eyes. He shot her a questioning glance.

"Will you be my prince?" Lupe asked the redhead. Hearts flashed through her eyes as she clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.

"No, but I know someone who will. His name is no one," Karma responded flatly.

Fia looked in dismay between the two. She quickly rushed to her sister's side, hoping the girl wouldn't throw a tantrum. "You wouldn't want to marry Karma," she said flatly, "he's the prince of darkness, Satan's steward."

Lupe pouted and stomped her foot. "But that would make me the queen of the underworld! I wanna be queen! I wanna be loved and adored forever!"

Mio and Mia piped up. "We'll beat you to world domination~!" they chimed together.

Fia sighed softly and smiled. "Isn't there anyone else you would like to marry?"

"Does Brad Pitt count?" the child asked.

Gio scoffed. "He's already married, idiot!"

Lupe's face turned red and her cheeks swelled. "I. Will. Cry."

The rest of the Timo children all dead-panned and paled together. "DIO, NO!" they all shouted at the same time. All of a sudden, Lupe was hoisted up onto a throne of pillows with twin fan-servants, a kiss-my-feet loser, and a personal chef for all the confectionary sweets she wanted. Lupe smiled with an air of satisfaction. Then, she spotted Haven.

"Will you be my prince, Haven?" she asked sweetly. The girl twirled a curly pigtail around one of her small fingers.

"I'm sorry Lupe, but I'm not qualified. Like I've said for the past two years, I'm a girl. See, I'm even wearing a skirt today," Haven replied calmly.

"But that girl is wearing pants," Lupe protested, pointing to Nagisa. He sighed, having been used to this kind of reaction.

"That's different and he's not a girl," Haven sighed.

"But I've seen Mio wearing Mia's clothes, and Mama makes Gio - " the little girl began.

"We promised never to speak of that!" Gio screeched.

"It's not my fault you're the perfect size for my pre-teen collection," Florence huffed.

The twins laughed as they wrapped their arms around the other. The twin that was supposed to be Mio shrugged, saying "We like to have our fun."

Fia laughed slightly; the twins had switched identities again today. Pinching Mio's cheek to show Mia she had caught them, she shook her head with a smile and turned her attention back to her other siblings.

Gio pouted as he poked at Nagisa's pigtails. "If you're not a girl, what's with this hairstyle?"

Lupe was pulling on Haven's skirt, trying to get a look under. "Prove it!"

Fia warily pulled Gio and Lupe away from their victims. "Nagisa, Karma, this is my family." She laughed dryly. "The twins are Mio and Mia; Don't give them an opportunity to cause chaos, because they will. These two are Giovanni and Guadalupe; those two are both allies in a race to take over the world against the twins. Giovanni is all about scheming and Lupe likes to manipulate people into getting her what she wants, so beware of them too. And this - " Fia gestured to the couple, " - is my mom and dad."

Nagisa smiled warily. "Thanks for the warning. It's nice to meet you all," he said, addressing Fia's family. "I'm Nagisa Shiota, Fia's housemate."

Florence pursed her lips but she nodded. "Note taken," she responded curtly as she claimed an empty spot on the couch.

Giovanni rushed up to the blue-haired boy and shook his hand vigorously. "I've heard about you!" he said cheerfully. " _Grazie_ for taking care of my little Fia~!" The older man paused for a moment. "You have a strong handshake and something fierce in your eyes," he grinned. "You don't seem like much on the outside, but you strike me as someone deadly. I like that. I would have loved to have someone like you on my side back when I - "

"Giovanni!" Florence snapped.

"Yikes! _Scusa_ , I said too much," Giovanni chuckled.

Karma leaned back and shot Fia's dad a smirk. "Oh no, please continue. I would love to hear all about it."

Fia paled and she grabbed her father's arm. " _Papino!_ We can't - "

"And who are you?" the man asked with a toothy grin. "Would you happen to be the boy who's been teasing my daughter?"

Lupe pouted. "No! He's my prince!"

"Well, he's the only real guy here," Gio grumbled, rolling his eyes. "That one is your stupid _sorella_ and those two are who-knows-whats."

Florence looked down her nose at Gio. "She's your sister too. Or did you forget that we. are. a. family?" Her voice dripped with venom.

He trembled under his mother's gaze. "N-no, _M-mami!I_ "

Karma shrugged. "So what if I am? If you dislike it that much, you can take me out as well as my parents."

Giovanni moved over to Karma and loomed over him with a serious expression. He then ruffled the redhead's hair with a hearty laugh. "I don't know your situation, kid, but _famiglia_ is _famiglia_. In any case, I like your spunk." Karma grumbled, not appreciating the gesture. "Still - " Giovanni mused, "I would tell you that I'd kick your ass if you mess with my girl, but…"

Fia tilted her head. " _Papino?_ "

He grinned and shot a look at Karma. His smile was friendly but a gleam of bloodlust shone through his eyes. "Considering her bloodline, I wouldn't be surprised if Fia decided to take you out herself."

Florence and Fia simultaneously blushed. "WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT!"

Nagisa and Karma exchanged glances, unsure of how to interpret that.

"About what?" two voices chimed. "This?"

Fia turned to see that the twins had raided her closet and pinned all of her underwear to a poster board. In big black letters were the words "The Evolution of Fia: The 'Breast' Explanation Possible." Fia shrieked and ran to get the board but the twins hoisted it over their heads and began running around the couches with it.

"It started when she was a young girl - " Mia giggled as they ran " - that she discovered that she might have problems growing up.

"It started when she was a young girl - " Mio laughed as they leaped over a table " - that the expenses started."

"SH-SHUT UP!" Fia's ears glowed red as she chased them. Gio stuck his foot out and sent Fia flying. She hit the carpet with an "oof!"

The twins guffawed as they stretched a bra between themselves. "It started when Fia decided she never wanted to get attention from anyone and started dressing plainly!" they both stuck their tongues out. "How boooooorrriiiiiiinnngggggg!"

Nagisa and Haven both shared expressions of concern. "Are you alright?" the bluenette asked.

Karma laughed. "She's fine. Fia has the hardest head here."

"Hey!" Fia shot Karma a dirty look. He grinned back, as if tauntingly asking her to try and argue against him.

Lupe looked between the two of them and scowled. "Are you two dating?"

"HAH?" Fia felt as if she had just been hit by twin trains - driven by a particular pair of twin drivers. "No way! W-what gave you th-that impression?!"

Karma laughed. "No, we aren't, but sometimes she just can't keep her hands off of me."

Gio's jaw fell and the boy pointed at his sister with a huge blush. "YOU PERVERT!"

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Fia protested. She shot Karma a look. "I WAS TRYING TO STRANGLE YOU, _CAZZO!_ _Merda,_ I never get a fucking break!" For the first time, the boys heard Fia's Italian accent slip through. Worse, it seemed to be flickering in and out under the influence of her family.

Giovanni gasped. " _Mia bambina,_ where did you learn such vulgar language?" he demanded.

Florence and all of the Timo children gave him unamused faces. "You!" they shouted together.

There was a knock at the door. Nagisa went to get it.

"Haven, dear!" Pearl smiled as she walked in.

"Mother," Haven greeted was a big smile plastered on her face.

"Have you been eating well?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Getting enough sleep?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Doing your homework?"

"Yes, Mother."

Pearl dragged Haven out the door. "We'll go to every activity the campus is holding this weekend," she smiled.

Nagisa, Karma, Fia, and the rest of Timo family silently watched as Haven was pulled away.

Florence smiled wryly. "It looks like Pearl hasn't changed very much," she commented.

"You still have to admire her enthusiasm as a mom~" Giovanni chimed.

Nagisa sweat-dropped, wondering if that was what Haven meant when she had said she didn't see eye-to-eye with her mom. He slowly stood. "I'm going to head out," he said to his housemates.

"Where are you going…?" Fia tentatively asked. She apprehensively shot a glance at the people she would be left with.

He pulled a couple of envelopes from his pocket. "I wanted to send some letters to my mom and dad," he admitted.

Giovanni gave Fia an exaggeratedly teary face. "Why don't you send me letters?"

Fia face-palmed. "I call you whenever I can!" she protested.

Florence scowled slightly. "It would be nice if you sent some pictures now and then of you wearing the clothes I designed for you."

Red raced up from Fia's toes to the top of her head. "I-I can't w-wear those!"

Her mother glared at her.

"E-eep! I-I just m-meant to s-say th-that I-I-I-I-I - " Fia immediately shut up and hung her head. Sinking to her knees, Fia slumped against a wall. It didn't take long for her to realize her mistake - three of her siblings were approaching her with evil looks on their faces and outstretched, groping hands. "DIO, NOOOOOO!"

Nagisa shot an apologetic look to Fia and left as inconspicuously as he could.

The twins and Guadalupe all jumped on her at the same time, trying to force her into one of the dresses that Florence had brought. Fia screamed as she tried to push her siblings off of her. Tired by his siblings' abrasive behavior, Gio sighed and sat down next to his mother to lean against her, where he quickly fell asleep. Giovanni sat on the other side of him and turned to turn talk to Karma as his lovely children screamed in the background.

"You have your history, and we have ours," Giovanni started, "but Fia does seem to have taken a liking to you guys. She speaks highly of you."

Karma smiled. "Nagisa is a good friend. I've known him since middle school."

"He means you, _idiota,_ " Florence interjected.

Karma looked from the pair to Fia. It appeared that the twins had fallen asleep against Fia's chest and that Lupe had begun to snore softly in her lap. She was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed and hands resting lightly on the twins' heads. If her mouth hadn't been moving, Karma might have thought she was asleep too.

"What is she singing?" he asked Giovanni.

"You are My Sunshine," he chuckled. "These guys might be trouble, but she really does love them," he explained.

"That I do," Fia whispered softly as she opened her eyes. "I'm not exactly Felix, but I do try to be a good older sister."

"Unlike Felicia," Florence muttered under her breath with a scowl. Unwilling to bear the emotion, Florence sighed. "I'm going to take Gio back to the car first."

Giovanni nodded. "We'll bring the other three down in just a little while, _amore._ "

Uncomfortable, Karma stood, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll help," he offered.

Giovanni grinned and slapped Karma on the back. "Atta boy!" He then turned to Fia and smiled kindly. "Can we talk?"

* * *

Nagisa exited the campus post office and began making his way back to the dorm. The day was very warm and bright, considering they were well into fall.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a white-haired girl. He began making his way towards her and her mother.

"Haven, how's Earnest doing?" Pearl asked.

"He's been doing fine," Haven replied dutifully.

"Joy says that he's been thinking about attending this college," Pearl smiled gently.

"I thought he was planning to take a gap year," Haven replied.

"Yes, I think she did mention something like that," Pearl mused. After a few moments, she added, "Do you hang out with anyone besides Earnest and Fia?" Nagisa stopped in his tracks.

"Well, there's Benny. You met him two years ago and there are my new housemates, Nagisa and Karma," Haven said.

"Are you interested in any of them?" her mother asked with a coy smile.

"Mother!" Haven blushed a bit, "No!" Her mother gave her a knowing smile.

"Maybe? I don't know!" Haven bit her lip and turned a little pinker. Haven and her mother moved out of earshot.

Earnest? Who was he? Nagisa had thought he knew Haven relatively well, but he had never seen or heard anything about this Earnest person. He would have to ask Fia when he got back to the apartment. With that, he spun on his heel and headed back there quickly.

* * *

Giovanni wrapped his arm around his daughter as she curled up into him. Fia sighed softly as she nuzzled into his neck.

"I missed you, Papino…" she murmured.

He kissed the top of her head. "I missed you too, _mia bella_. I'm sorry that the family got so out of hand today."

She laughed softly. "But they wouldn't be the family otherwise. You all put me on edge, but I do love you all."

Giovanni's forest green eyes shone with both happiness and pain. "I'm glad that you said that, _bambina_ … I was very worried when we moved here that all of you would come to resent me," he admitted. "At the time I met your mother, I was afraid to love anyone from the family because the thought of losing someone that close to me was unbearable. Alas, I couldn't help falling in love with her anyway."

" _Papi_ …" Fia locked her arms around her dad tightly.

"You're old enough to know. When you three were born," he continued, "I realized I wasn't just afraid to love because I didn't want to lose anyone. Rather, I was afraid to love because I realized what it meant to have to leave those precious to me… That's why when the Collapse happened, I grabbed your mother and moved you three here to the states. I know we might never be able to go back, but all I wanted was for us to stay together… I'm sorry, my decision must have put a lot of hardship on you," Giovanni sighed and nuzzled his cheek against the top of Fia's head.

Fia nodded slowly to show her understanding. "I miss those days…" she started, "but my heart lies wherever you are." Fia gleamed, "I would do anything for those I love too, _Papino._ "

Green eyes met and Giovanni chuckled. "That's my girl~" He ruffled her hair. "Do you have anyone you're afraid to lose?" he asked.

Fia blushed, startled by the question. "U-um, all of you…" She paused to think for a moment. "And all of my friends: Benny, Haven, Nagisa, Karma." Fia smiled. "They're the best."

Lightly pinching his daughter's cheek, Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "Really? Even Karma?"

"Gghn!" Fia swatted away her father's hand and grabbed his cheeks, stretching them out.

"Ouch!" Giovanni grabbed the girl's hands and began tickling her. "How dare you do that to your father!" The two laughed together for a few moments before Giovanni gave Fia a serious look. "I'm serious, _amore_."

"I'm not sure what you mean," Fia admitted with a sweat drop. "Sure, he picks on me a lot and you'll usually only ever find me annoyed if he's been talking to me, but he's helped me out a lot over the last month or so. I feel like I can depend on him when it counts. Karma's a good friend."

Giovanni gently tucked Fia's hair behind her ear. She looked at him curiously. "You keep saying that but, _attento,_ Fia."

"Be careful with what?" she tilted her head, obviously confused.

His eyes softened. "Your heart, Fia. I felt the same way about your mother when we met."

* * *

Karma rolled his shoulders as he re-entered the apartment. He walked over to Fia, who was cooking and humming in the kitchen, and poked her cheek.

"Hm?" Fia tilted her head. "Karma?"

He leaned against the counter with a playful grin. "Are all of the members of your family big eaters?"

"Hey!" Fia laughed a little and she blushed, hearing her father's words once again in her mind.

Orange eyes searched olive ones. "What are you thinking about?" Karma asked quietly. "You look lost."

"Eh?" Fia bit her lip and stopped to think. "Well… About a few things, mostly family. Karma, earlier you said that… my dad could take out your parents if he wanted to. What… What are they like?" she inquired tentatively.

Karma looked up at the ceiling and shrugged. "They're hardly around and, even when they are, why would they spend time with me? It doesn't really matter."

Fia tucked her hair behind her ear and turned back to her cooking. " _Papi_ and I were talking about what it's like to lose someone important to death and to be lost to death when you have someone important…" she said slowly. "I never thought about being dead to someone. I hope I never lose have to lose anyone else important to me. Being alone is…"

Karma ruffled the girl's hair. "I know - but don't worry, I'll be here to annoy you for a long time to come~!" he laughed.

"So you admit that you are annoying!" Fia exclaimed in excitement.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Karma laughed as he stole a taste from the sauce Fia had whipped together.

Fia's face flushed. "Hey! Thief!" She began chasing him around with a ladle.

* * *

Mio and Mia: We're taking over the comment box!

Fia: Get out!

Mio and Mia: You're here every week. Let us do one!

Fia: 5 lines. You get 5 lines.

Mia: You're so mean!

Fia: 4 lines left...

Mio: This is kind of unfair!

Fia: 3 lines -

Mia: (interrupting) FIA'S A DOUBLE D!

Fia: 2 lines - HEY!

Mio: Actually, her exact measurements are - (starts reading Florence's notes)

Fia: (slapping a hand over Mio's mouth) 1 line!

Mio and Mia: You suck! (runs away)

Fia: Get back here!

Gio: Next time, I'll get what's coming to me! I'll take over the world!

Lupe: Not if I beat you to it!

Nagisa: Weren't you two supposed to be allies?

Lupe: Will you be my prince?

Nagisa: N-no thank you.

Lupe: I'll marry the pure, white one. Where did he go?

Florence: Would you all just behave yourselves?!

All: (Bowing down) We love you, mother!

Florence: Fia, have you been keeping up with your dancing and singing?

Fia: N-not in p-particular…

Florence: And why not?

Fia: I-It's embarrassing! H-how could someone with your level of confidence p-possibly understand?

Giovanni: Don't question your mother, Fia.

Fia: But you do it all the time! We get it from you, you know… (huffs)

Giovanni: Right, don't tell your mother and I'll buy you some creamy gelato~

Fia: Really?! (eyes sparkle)

Fia and Giovanni: (Tries to creep away)

Florence: Where do you two think you are going?

Giovanni: Nowhere in particular, _mi amore~_

Fia: Look, Guchi!

Florence: Where? (turns to look)

Giovanni and Fia: (Sprints away)

Florence: They ran away! After them!

Mio and Mia: (grabs a road roller and a bulldozer, laughing maniacally)

Lupe: (kicks Gio over and hops onto his back) GIDDY UP, HORSEY!

Karma: (lazily enters) Narrator, you gonna start the preview or what?

Narrator: Nah, this is much more entertaining.

Karma: (pulls a knife) I'm not in the mood today to mess around.

Narrator: (Sweatdrops) In the next chapter, someone hits the big 20!

Haven: I don't see the appeal in celebrating one's birthday. One's worth is not gauged by one's age and quite frankly, it gets more and more depressing to celebrate the older you get.

Fia: (sulks back, having been caught) If we're not going to celebrate, can we at least have Gelato…? (watches kids attempt to subdue Giovanni while he rampages like Godzilla, yelling "GELATO!" like a madman)

Narrator: Who said anything about not celebrating?


	8. Chapter 8: Birthday Time

On Sunday evening, Haven dragged herself back into the apartment exhausted. She went to her room and set up all her computers. The matrix of screens flashed and her three laptops were all set up and running. Fia walked into her room and tried to read a book. Over the loud clacking of keys and the light coming from the screens, trying to sleep would be futile.

"AHHHHH!" Haven screamed suddenly. Fia looked over in alarm. Haven was crouched over one of her older laptops, typing furiously, an alarmed expression on her face.

Fia ran over to her friend in concern. She peered between Haven and the screen. "Are you alright, Angel? What's wrong?"

"What do you mean you brought a girl home!?" Haven screeched at her computer.

Fia's expression went blank. Was… Was Haven yelling at her computer… about bringing a girl home…? "Um… Angel… What's going on?" she asked carefully.

"After I explicitly told you not to go on the internet as well!" Haven sighed.

Concerned, Fia slowly rose and retreated from her spot next to Haven, taking a few steps backward at first before breaking out into a full run towards the boys' room. She pounded on their door. "Karma! Nagisa! … LAZY ASSHOLE!"

The door swung open. A grumpy redhead and a concerned bluenette stared at her.

"What did you just call me?" Karma asked with a slight scowl.

"Nevermind that," Nagisa said. "Is everything okay?"

"Angel is freaking out a little bit and yelling at her computer - and I mean more than usual. Can you come with me?"

Karma rubbed his eyes and shrugged while Nagisa nodded. "Do you have any idea how late it is?"

Fia sweat-dropped. "It's late, I know."

The three peeked in through the doorway of the girls' room cautiously.

"She wants to meet my apartment mates?" Haven sighed, "I'll open your mod up on the big screen." Suddenly, the nine-screen matrix flashed and displayed one large image. On one side, there was a girl with pink hair in a school uniform. On the other, was a robot-like figure. Haven got up and was about to walk to the boys' room when she noticed they were already there.

"Someone wants to meet you," Haven said flatly and pointed to the computer.

The three peered at the screen.

"Who's this - " Fia began.

"RITSU?!" the boys exclaimed together.

The virtual girl gasped and began jumping excitedly. "Nagisa! Karma! I'm so happy to see you again! Are you Mr. Robo's creator's roommates?"

Fia slumped against the wall, completely confused by this whole ordeal. "Someone… please explain to me what's going on. Starting with you, Angel."

"I was a lonely sixteen-year-old! I programmed a chat-bot to keep me company! I never thought or meant for him to be sentient!" Haven protested. The robot on the screen flinched a bit. "Not that you weren't a happy mistake!" Haven added quickly.

Fia shook her head. "Why am I not surprised? And you? Karma? Nagisa?"

They looked at each other. "Um... We met Ritsu in… Middle School."

She giggled. "Wasn't it fun that one time with Koro-sen - "

"Ritsu!" Nagisa interjected. "Can you please enter my phone? Class meeting?"

"Sure thing!" Ritsu smiled. With a beep, she left the computer screen and appeared on Nagisa's phone screen. Exchanging glances, the boys carried the phone back to their room.

Fia stared after the boys, biting her lip. Her housemates always seemed to get more and more mysterious.

"Mr. Robo, do you want a new mod?" Haven asked. The robot nodded. Haven started typing furiously. After a few minutes, Mr. Robo had short blue hair and blue eyes.

"Do you want a new name too?" Haven asked.

"Yes, please!" Mr. Robo smiled.

"You have an English voicebank and a Chinese voicebank, so no speaking to strangers," Haven explained. "How does Wally sound?"

"I like it!"

Fia approached Haven. "Hey, Angel. Can we talk a little bit about our roommates?"

"What is it?" Haven replied. "Mr. Ro- Wally, no eavesdropping!"

"Well, to begin with," Fia started, "they seem to know an excessive amount of crazy characters from middle school. They went to school with an A.I. I guess she could have been a tutor but that doesn't seem very likely. Not to mention that they - "

Nagisa knocked on the open door politely. "We're back." Ritsu waved happily from Nagisa's phone screen then jumped back onto the computer screen. "We just wanted to catch up a little bit, sorry about that."

"I see you got a new mod," Ritsu smiled. The two AIs began chattering happily.

Fia sighed softly and, tired, shuffled to her own bed. She found a curious matt of red on her pillow. "... HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Karma grumbled. "Tired."

"So am I! So go back to your own damned bed!"

"Who kicked me out of said bed at 3:30 in the morning?"

Her face flushed. "I really thought something was wrong! N-now please leave! I just want to sleep…"

Karma slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes before yawning loudly. "You could just sleep here with me," he suggested.

Her ears turned pink. She tried to yell but all of her words just came out as incoherent stutters. Fia's face slowly turned from pink to red to scarlet. Slowly, she grabbed the pillow from the bed and began yelling feverishly into it.

"Fia, calm down," Karma sighed, "I was joking." He got up and exited the room, hands locked casually behind his head. "Nobody wake me until morning."

She glared at him from behind the pillow and she stuck her tongue out.

Haven looked at Nagisa and blushed scarlet. She ran to her bed and buried her face in her pillow before he could notice.

Fia removed the pillow from her face completely, but it still glowed like a hot iron. Eyes following the path Karma had taken out, she muttered, "I-I w-wouldn't-t m-m-m - …" She pouted and looked away. "N-never mind! J-just nevermind!" Fia threw herself under the covers.

Nagisa sighed. The bed lumps didn't look as if they were going to get up anytime soon so he returned to his room, shutting off the lights on his way out. They would all need to try and get some sleep before classes started.

"Wally, turn off all of the computers, please," Haven's muffled order came from her bed and the room went dark, still, and silent.

* * *

As the clock struck time to go and students began filing out of her class, Jelavic made her way to the one girl who hadn't moved all class period.

"Fia," Jelavic called flatly. "I know you're a quiet girl, but this is ridiculous."

Fia blushed. "I d'n' know wha' y'mean…" she mumbled.

"Would you speak clearly already?" Jelavic grabbed Fia's cheeks and stretched them.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" she protested.

"Clearly!" the blonde professor demanded.

"I-I don't know w-what you mean!" Fia forced out.

"Good enough," Jelavic sighed and relented, letting go of Fia's face. The girl pouted and rubbed her cheeks, trying to avoid Jelavic's gaze. "Are those boys giving you a hard time?" she asked.

Fia blushed and dropped her gaze, remembering that morning's events.

"Timo!"

"Gyah! Huh?" Fia found a pair of snapping fingers in her face.

"Are you even listening to me?" Jelavic demanded Fia's full attention.

Fia's olive eyes met bright blue ones. "I… I'm trying."

"Listen, those two are a handful, trust me - I would know, but they're willing to listen if you would just get the confidence to speak up. Remember your first day? You could hardly tell me your name. You still need to work a little bit, but you've come a long way," Jelavic reassured her. "Communication is essential to survival in this world. Until you can become versed in how to converse, just try imagining a person you have a lot to say to, or someone who's easy to talk to."

Fia nodded slowly. "A-alright, I think I u-understand what I have to do." Fia smiled slightly. "Thank you, Ms. Jelavic."

"See? You didn't stutter at all. Now get out of my sight so I can go home and relax!" she laughed.

* * *

"Haven, what would you say if Ven was your birthday present?" Benny grinned at her as they walked to the cafeteria.

"Umm… I guess I would say thanks?" Haven shrugged "I'd probably give it to Fia though, she seems to really like the thing." Benny looked a bit disappointed.

"Well, what would you want then?" Benny asked.

"I'm rather happy with everything I have right now," Haven thought for a few moments, "Surprise me."

"Well, want to go shopping after lunch to find a present?" Benny asked.

"Not really. I'd rather just go back to my room and code," Haven said bluntly, causing Benny to sweatdrop. "But I guess we could go for a little while," she added.

* * *

It took forever, but Fia finally tracked down Nagisa after class. "Nagisa!" she called as she ran up to him.

He smiled at her. "Good afternoon, Fia."

Fia looked up at Nagisa. "Sorry to be so sudden, Nagisa, but can you and Karma help me out with something?"

"Sure," Nagisa replied. "Karma is supposed to meet up me with for lunch anyway. What do you need help with?"

"It's Angel's birthday," Fia admitted. "Because of Parents' Weekend, I didn't actually have much time to prepare."

And so, Fia, Karma, and Nagisa all met up and devised a plan. Nagisa would run to the nearest party store to pick up decorations while Karma and Fia picked up the ingredients to bake a cake. As Nagisa decorated and Karma and Fia baked, Benny would be distracting Haven to the best of his ability. Nagisa made it to his destination first and stared at the daunting number of exceedingly long and tall aisles.

"Where do I even begin…?" he asked himself. Nagisa pulled out a small notebook from inside his vest pocket and skimmed the pages. "Alright, I'll just start with everything I know about Haven." Grabbing a basket, Nagisa began going through the aisles without ever really looking up from his paper. "Let's see… She likes black and pink," Nagisa observed as he grabbed decorations in those colors. "But she doesn't seem to care for overly ornate things," he mused as he passed by the glitter and more-outlandish party favors. "Haven doesn't care for particularly loud things." He eliminated the chance of any firecrackers or noise makers. "She's simple and to the point. I like that," Nagisa laughed as he flipped closed his notebook and made his way to the check-out line.

Karma and Fia weren't having such an easy time. The redhead sighed as the girl beside him quietly pushed the cart.

"You haven't spoken to me once today. Are you really that bothered by what I said this morning?" Fia shook her head quickly and seemed to shrink in on herself. "Then what is it?" Karma demanded, slightly annoyed by her behavior.

She paled. "I'm trying to be inconspicuous…" Fia muttered as she rounded the corner into the baking goods aisle.

"Why?" he asked, grabbing the ingredients he could.

"Do you need any help with anything, Sir? Ma'am?" a polite store attendant asked.

Fia's face flushed and she froze. A pink frosting tube slipped from her hands and clattered against the floor. Fia's face flushed darker and she reached down to grab it, but, in her fluster, she only kept dropping it again. The store attendant picked it up and handed it to Fia who hid her face behind the frosting tube and squeaked out a "th-thanks."

"Well, let me know if you need anything…" the store attendant smiled politely and walked away.

Karma stared at Fia as she slowly became animated once again. She gently placed the frosting and a few candles into the cart and slowly began to wheel the cart and herself away.

"What was with that?" he asked as he grabbed her arm.

Fia bit her lip and averted her eyes. "I… I can't - I-It's nothing…" Karma quirked an eyebrow. Her cheeks cherried. "I… have a hard time speaking to people," Fia explained slowly. "I don't like to be noticed either…"

"You don't seem to have a problem talking to Haven and Benny, or Nagisa and I for that matter."

"I met Benny through Haven, there wasn't too much I could do about that. Haven and Nagisa are very quiet and very easy to talk to. And you - " she poked Karma's chest " - just get on my nerves!" Both went through the check-out line, playfully jabbing at each other with snide remarks.

* * *

Fia, Nagisa, and Karma were all waiting by the kitchen table for Haven's return. Nagisa had done a wonderful job with the decorations. A few balloons stood post at each side of the couch, and pink plates lightly rested on a black table cloth. It was simple, but very elegant. The layered angel cake with white and pink frosting swirls looked good as well. Nagisa wished he could say the same about Karma and Fia. Both of them seemed to have frosting stains on their faces that wouldn't wash out no matter how hard they tried. Luckily for Fia, the pink stains seemed to almost match the pigment of her cheeks. Unfortunately for Karma, he had a hot pink blotch on his nose, courtesy of Fia - and, yes, she would brag about it if you asked.

Haven and Benny returned with a good-sized package.

Nagisa was the first to greet her. "Happy birthday, Haven!"

Karma smiled. "We might have thrown something together for you, baked you a cake."

Fia scowled. "I baked her a cake. You just threw frosting at me!"

"I did help decorate," Karma laughed. "Your face, that is."

"Ha-ha. Very funny coming from you, Rudolf," Fia retorted smugly.

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "Well, anyway, come in. It's nice to see you again, Benny," Nagisa said.

"I told you guys not to bother," Haven blushed slightly, obviously pleased with the outcome.

The bluenette's cheeks became slightly rosy as he led the pair into the room. "I just hope everything is perfect for you." Haven smiled as Benny placed the package on the table, next to several smaller ones.

Karma brought out the cake - he didn't trust Fia not to trip - and Fia lit the candles - she didn't trust Karma with the lighter. They stood together by Nagisa around the living room table. Suddenly, Haven's cell phone began to ring. She answered it.

"Hello, Earnest… Thank you for the birthday wishes… I'm glad you koala-fied for state… You're rambling, Earnest… Shut up, Earnest… Goodbye, Earnest," she hung up the phone and went back to the party. "Sorry about that. He has the worst timing." The others stared blankly from Haven to the melting candles.

Fia waved it off with a cheerful smile. "Don't worry about it. Okay - 1, 2, 3!" Fia kicked off the birthday song with a sweet tone. By contrast, Karma's words were so flat, he could have been speaking them. Fia elbowed him into singing more genuinely, but Karma retaliated by tickling her side, to throw off her tone. Nagisa rubbed the back of his head as he sang along, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. Benny was a little off-beat, but he made up with his enthusiasm. They finished with polite clapping as Haven blew out the candles.

Karma pulled a knife from who-knows-where and began cutting the cake. As he did, Fia excitedly brought a small stack of gifts to Haven. Fia bounced a little. "What are you going to open first~?" Haven picked up a small red package. She opened it to find a stack of pocky boxes.

"Thank you, Karma," Haven smiled slightly.

He laughed. "No problem. Eat enough of those and maybe your hips will grow out enough that people will think you're a girl!"

"KARMA!" Haven pouted.

Fia quickly grabbed Karma and tried to push him away, but he stood as firmly as a wall. "What? You want to see her get worked up too, didn't you? Isn't that why you made her - "

"SSSHHHHH!" Fia shushed Karma. "Don't spoil the surprise!"

Next, she picked up the largest package, Benny's. Inside was a large, guinea pig plush.

"Thanks," Haven said quickly before moving onto the next present. Benny's shoulders fell just a slight bit.

Fia brought Haven her present, unable to contain her excitement anymore; however, when she got close to Haven, Fia slowly lost confidence and began to back away. The redhead smirked behind her and shoved her forward. Fia fell and hit the floor, but somehow the present ended up in Haven's lap anyhow. The girl on the floor looked up in dismay. The green and white polka-dot bow loomed over the edge of the package box, taunting her. Fia let her head hit the carpet and she groaned.

Haven unwrapped the present with anticipation. There stood a six-inch tall marzipan figure of a Chinese Lion, fully decked out in black, white, pink, and gold.

Fia sweat-dropped. "It took awhile to make… but you can blink the eyes, move the jaw, and flick the ears. Oh, and it's edible for whenever you're done with it… I-I know it's a little bit childish," Fia said as she began to blush profusely, "but I really hope you like it."

"It's a masterpiece! I'm not sure I'll have the heart to eat this!"

Fia's eyes gleamed. "You really like it?!" She laughed gleefully as she sat up and rubbed her head. "What a relief…" Haven went over to her friend and gave her a hug. Olive eyes flew open in surprise but Fia slowly wrapped her arms around her friend and gave her a tight squeeze. A little ways away, Karma snapped a few pictures with a small smile.

After that, Haven opened a yellow package. Inside was a lacy, pink bra. Haven turned scarlet and slapped her hand over her eyes, "AUNT JOY!"

Fia sweat-dropped. "Yeah… Been there, done that. I'm so sorry, Angel," Fia laughed dryly then covered her face with a hand as she sulked.

Karma slid past Haven in a split second, the only indication of him being his red hair and the repeated flashes from his phone. He glanced quickly at his phone screen. "Yup! Got the shot!"

Nagisa blushed slightly and turned away from this whole situation. Benny took it a step farther by falling out of his seat and hitting the floor. Trying to cover his red face with one hand, he stumbled towards the door. "I-I need a minute!"

Putting his hands in his pockets, Karma laughed. "I can't wait to see what the rest of the family sent you, Haven."

The next package was pure white. Inside was a pearl necklace. "Thanks, Mother," Haven gave a small smile.

The sixth box was tan. Inside was a lucky cat key chain. "I'm so lucky to have met you, you're purr-fect!" Haven read the tag hanging from the chain. "Oh, Earnest," Haven shook her head and sighed.

Fia read the tag over Haven's shoulder. She slapped her hand over her mouth and slowly backed away. Suddenly, the housemates' attention was brought to a loud flood of laughter coming from behind the couch. Haven peeked over the back of the couch and found Fia curled up in a tight ball, giggling uncontrollably.

"Tsu-chan?"

Karma's eyes flashed with recognition. He ran to the kitchen and darted back with a pink container in his hand. He smiled sadistically. "Time for payback!"

Fia tried to suppress her giggles as she tried to back away into the couch. "S-stay away," she laughed, "Leave m-me alone, Rudolf!"

"Oh, you're definitely getting a mustache for that!" He laughed as the struggle began.

Nagisa rushed over to pry them apart as Benny re-entered the apartment and slipped back into his seat. The more inconspicuous he tried to look, the more obvious it became that he was still embarrassed by the whole present-scenario. Nagisa came back around the couch and sat down next to Haven. He looked dejected as he tried to rub a pink heart off of one of his cheeks and a "xoxo" off of the other.

"Those two never quit, do they?" he sighed.

Covered in frosting, two faces popped up from behind the couch. "Nope!" they chimed together.

"Quit it, Karma," Haven pouted.

He stood and helped Fia onto her feet. "Alright, alright," he gave her a toothy smile before eating the frosting straight from the container. "You going to open Nagisa's present, Haven?"

"If you quit messing with Tsu-chan for five minutes," Haven bantered.

Karma feigned a hurt expression. "You don't trust me?"

"Not really," Nagisa said flatly.

"Nope," Benny sighed.

"Nuh-uh," Fia shook her head vigorously. "But share anyway!" The redhead laughed and passed the pink frosting. With those two quietly eating frosting and making faces at each other, Nagisa finally handed Haven his present. The light blue box was neatly wrapped. Haven unwrapped it slowly and carefully.

She found a wireless pair of black headphones with pink stripes. On the top of the headband sat a small, neat pink ribbon. Nagisa laughed nervously.

"I thought those would suit you, especially since you're always coding. It's noise canceling - you know, for when it's a little more rowdy around here." Nagisa looked down sheepishly. "I wanted to get you something practical but cute. I hope you like it." Blue eyes shone with affection.

"Thank you so much, Nagisa! They're wonderful," Haven tried them on.

"Oh!" Nagisa smiled. "Here, it's already paired to my phone - " Nagisa put on a rich classical composition. "How does it sound?"

"Huh? I couldn't hear you," Haven removed one side of the headphones.

He laughed lightly. "How is the sound? I find the piano striking."

"I thought the music was wonderful! Beethoven, was it?" Haven replied.

Leaning over the back of the couch, Fia and Karma simultaneously appeared on either side of Haven to see what Nagisa had gotten her.

Benny scratched his head. "You like classical, Haven?"

"Yes, it's almost the only thing I listen to," Haven nodded her head.

"O-oh. I didn't know that. I thought - Well, who is your favorite artist?" Benny asked.

"Probably Handel or Vivaldi. Although, I find Chopin's Nocturnes series is also one of my favorites," Haven replied.

Nagisa smiled softly and closed his eyes as if he could hear the music around him. "Yeah, they're some of my favorite composers too."

Benny frowned slightly. "Yeah, I meant 'composer.'"

"Of course, Liszt is wonderful as well," Haven commented.

"You know Liszt?" Nagisa asked with a smile. "Most people haven't heard of him."

"I especially like his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. It's unfortunate that he isn't as renowned as Mozart or Bach," Haven smiled.

"But that makes him all the more charming," Nagisa responded.

"I hate to interrupt your boring music talk," Karma said sarcastically, "but the cake is ready."

Fia and Karma began piling slices onto plates and passing them around with forks. Nagisa thanked the two as he got his cake but then looked to the pair in concern. "You two have been really quiet, especially you Karma," he noted.

Karma smirked, "Haven said I had to quit-messing with Tsu-chan for five-minutes."

Nagisa sighed in response. "Are you saying that you can't open your mouth without antagonizing her?"

The redhead laughed. "Pretty much!"

Fia shook her head at the exchange and looked around to make sure everyone had their cake. "Eat up everyone!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "We have a lot more celebrating to do!"

* * *

Nagisa: I'm actually surprised that neither of you caked the other.

Fia: Well, considering our frosting war… You're still pink, Rudolf!

Karma: As are you, Tsu-chan.

Fia: Huh? Mine washed off -

Karma: (interrupts her with a quick touch to her neck) Now you are~

Fia: (turning pink) AM NOT!

Nagisa: (shakes his head) What are you listening to now, Haven?

Benny: Can we not get back to that conversation? Hey, Haven. Got any plans?

Haven: Yes, listening to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

Fia: I think I danced to that once…

Karma: (musing) Didn't he also compose for the Nutcracker?

Fia: I think I danced in that too…

Karma: Tutu?

Fia: (blushes) Not answering that one...

Benny: Not you guys too. Can we get the narrator in here?

Narrator: I'm partial to Debussy.

Benny: NARRATOR!

Narrator: Sorry, couldn't help it. Next time, we'll see who can stand watching horror movies! I bet Benny can't.

Benny: Oi!

Narrator: He's too scared to even be in the next chapter!

Benny: That's YOUR decision, NOT MINE!


	9. Chapter 9: Movie Time

"ARE YOU GUYS CRAZY! SAFETY IN NUMBERS, YOU MORONS!" Haven yelled at the screen as the four characters split up. Nagisa and Karma stared at her. "What? They're acting like complete idiots," she commented.

"I just never thought that you were one to like horror movies," Karma replied.

"This one's just too laughable and predictable," Haven shrugged, completely unphased by the most recent jump scare. She yawned and leaned back.

"Speaking of predictable - I bet you the couple who decided to have their way in the back bedroom is gonna be the next one offed," Fia sighed in frustration. "It's always them. Haven't they watched 'Scream'?"

"But of course!" Haven agreed, motioning for someone to pass her the tub of popcorn. "Who said we should watch this movie?"

"Didn't Benny suggest it?" Nagisa asked.

* * *

"So, Haven, want to hang out and watch that movie I suggested last week?" Benny asked as he walked with Haven to lunch the following Monday.

"I watched it on Friday at my apartment," Haven replied.

'What did you think of it?" Benny asked, slightly dejected.

"It was rather predictable, hilariously so," Haven replied.

"Well, do you have any movies you could recommend to me?" he smiled hopefully.

"I believe Karma is planning to take us to a movie this weekend. I'll let you know if it's any good," she shrugged.

"'Us'?" Benny raised an eyebrow.

"Nagisa, Fia, and I," Haven said simply.

"So, i-it's just a housemate thing, right?" he asked nervously.

"Probably, but knowing Karma and Fia…" Haven trailed off, thinking of how the outing would likely result in the two of them bickering. Benny paled slightly, a completely different scenario having crossed his mind.

* * *

"We're seeing a horror movie," Haven's voice trembled a bit as she stared at the ticket stub in her hand.

"Yeah, everyone seemed to enjoy the one we watched last week," Karma said with a shrug.

Before any of them could say "Movie Time," they found themselves in the dim theater. The seating arrangement went: Karma, Fia, Nagisa, and Haven. The previews were interesting enough, but, for the next hour and a half, Haven trembled, cringed, and whimpered next to Nagisa.

Being a protective older sibling made Fia very concerned for Haven. At first, she was very preoccupied with the whimpering noises to her side, but as Nagisa soothingly rubbed Haven's head and let her hide behind him, Fia began to relax and enjoy the movie. That was, until she felt a poke in her side. She jumped slightly and turned towards that direction.

"Karma," she whispered harshly.

"You scared yet?" he smirked.

"No, I'm used to this kind of stuff" she responded flatly. "Are you scared? You've been trying really hard to get my attention, so I thought maybe you wanted me to protect you," Fia teased.

He stared at Fia for a few moments then grinned. "Oh? I didn't think little-miss-clumsy could take more than a few steps without hurting herself."

Fia rolled her eyes. "Just pass the popcorn and enjoy the blood splatter."

Nagisa smiled worriedly at Haven. "Are you alright?" he whispered. It was a quieter part of the movie, so he hoped she would come out from hiding.

"Maybe… I'd forgotten how dark movie theaters are," Haven took a few glances at the screen before relaxing a bit and creeping out of her hiding spot. Suddenly, one of the female protagonists shrieked and Haven hid behind Nagisa once again. She clung to his arm, watching the screen with only one eye. Then the demon lunged at the screen. Startled by the jump scare, Haven regressed to her hiding spot completely.

Nagisa turned slightly and situated himself so he could both look at Haven and block her view of the screen. Blue eyes glowed softly in the dark. "Do you want to go somewhere else?" he asked, gently smiling. Haven nodded stiffly. With that, Nagisa stood and guided Haven out of the theater, taking her to wait by the concession stands.

Fia watched her friends go with a conflicted smile. She wanted to chase after her friend, but she didn't want to overwhelm Haven, and she knew Nagisa could handle it. Fia turned to look at Karma and their gazes met. He shook his head and she sighed. Karma was right, she should wait until the movie was over to check on Haven.

Nagisa sat across from Haven at a table and handed her a water bottle. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I will be. Watching movies in a theater has a very different feel from watching them off a computer," Haven replied warily.

Nagisa nodded and rested his chin in his palm. "Yeah, I think you're right." Thinking for a moment, Nagisa smiled. "Well, why don't we watch a movie again sometime? We can watch on your computer, make snacks, and just have fun at home. What do you think, Haven?"

"That sounds like a much better idea," Haven gave him a small smile.

He was about to reply when he caught sight of a figure lingering by the upcoming movie posters. "Haven… Isn't that the guy from the mall?" Nagisa inquired with concern.

"It could be," Haven bit her lip.

"Are you alright? I won't pry, but I don't exactly like the idea of anyone hurting my friends," his eyes shone with seriousness.

"I'm planning to do something about it soon."

As if he had heard Haven's words, Dick turned and caught sight of the white-haired girl. His expression grew fierce as he stormed his way over to Haven. "YOU TOLD!" he shouted accusingly.

"I didn't tell," Haven glared at the blond boy, " No one knows."

"Then what was up with this chick and that redheaded asshole?" he spat. "I don't believe you!"

Nagisa looked between the two, his facial expression unreadable. Although he appeared to not be paying attention to the aggressive blonde, his sharp gaze said otherwise, said that he was watching like a snake does a mouse.

"I had met them the day before! They barely even knew me, much less anything about you," Haven clenched her fists.

"And why should I believe you?" Dick spat.

"The agreement. We promised, no lies," Haven reminded him. "You know I'm not lying to you."

"And you know I will make your life absolute hell if you tell," Dick gritted his teeth.

"Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe I'm as much, if not more so, the victim as you are?"

The blonde's face grew red as he angrily tried to come up with some sort of retort. When he couldn't, he slammed his fist on the table in frustration. "This isn't the end of this!" he yelled in a fluster as he hurried away.

"No, I suppose not. But I plan to make the next move," Haven muttered at Dick's backside.

Nagisa slowly exhaled as the tension drained from the room. He looked to Haven with concern, but said nothing, waiting to see how she wanted to proceed from there.

"Don't tell Fia. She'll just worry," Haven requested.

Nagisa nodded. "Alright, but if you need anything, you can tell me, Haven."

After a few moments, the pair saw Karma and Fia exit the theater. The redhead laughed, "I told you, this director needs to do more suspense! I wasn't expecting that plot twist."

Fia shook her head with a smile. "Neither was I! Usually, these kinds of movies are predictable so I'm glad the director decided to change things up. I admit, the jump scare at the end might have actually gotten me - " She saw Haven and Nagisa at the table and rushed over. Placing a hand on Haven's shoulder, Fia smiled worriedly. "Are you alright, Angel?"

"Yep, we've just been sitting out here," Haven smiled, a bit too brightly to be natural.

Karma lazily rolled his shoulders as he approached. "I didn't think you'd run off like that, Haven. Next time, I'll have to get tickets to a kids' movie so you won't get so scared," he teased.

Fia shot him a look. "I know you're trying to lighten the mood, but is now the best time?" she asked, gritting her teeth. He shrugged with a "what else am I supposed to do?" attitude. She gave him a wary but appreciative smile and shook her head. "Wanna head home now?" Fia asked cheerfully, turning back to Haven.

"Sure," Haven replied.

The four headed out together. Enjoying the cool autumn air and hues of reds and yellows adorning each tree, they walked at a leisurely pace. Fia was at the front, stepping from crackling dry leaf to crinkling dry leaf with satisfaction. The fall had infatuated her and stolen away all of her attention. Karma followed behind her, eyes turned up to pink sky and sun sinking on the horizon. Bringing up the rear, Haven and Nagisa walked side-by-side in comfortable silence as both took in the beauty of their surroundings. Whenever their shoulders accidentally brushed, they would look at each other and smile. Whatever Karma saw when he looked over his shoulder that evening, he didn't say anything about it.

* * *

Nagisa and Haven contentedly sighed as they looked up at the stars. There were only so many visible above the glow of the city lights, but it was enough. Neither had wanted to go inside so soon, so they found themselves climbing the steps of the fire escape and staring up at the sky.

"I really like looking at the stars," Nagisa said with a smile. "They're always there. Even the moon has changed on us. Who knew 30% could look so beautiful?" he laughed.

"I always wondered why it changed, but it looks more beautiful than I ever remember," Haven glowed… in the present lighting, quite literally. Nagisa looked at the moon with a bit of melancholy.

"Oh!" Nagisa gasped. "Did you see that shooting star?"

"Where?" Haven asked as she began looking around.

He laughed a little. "It was there," he pointed at an empty patch of sky to their left. "Do you believe in wishing upon a shooting star?"

"When I was very, very young, I used to stay up as late as I could every night and wait for one," Haven reminisced, "It hasn't come true yet."

"I like to believe in my own power," Nagisa admitted, "but it's fun to do things like this now and then. What did you wish for?"

"Nothing in particular," Haven smiled mysteriously. "What did you wish for?"

Blue eyes shone with affection as Nagisa smiled at Haven. She still seemed to be searching the sky. "I'll let you know when it comes true. Hopefully, that'll be someday soon."

* * *

Fia sat at the counter and silently watched Karma carefully slice the sashimi. Rolling an orange between his hands, he cut the fruit into a flower and handed it to the waiting girl before dutifully returning to work. Fia grinned and happily began consuming citrus.

"You seem happier than usual today," Karma said with a smile.

Fia mused and licked the orange juice from her fingers. "I'm having a happier than usual day," she responded. "This is my favorite type of weather, and the movie was fun. Although… Karma? What did you think of the movie?"

"I didn't think too much of it," he replied. "Why?"

"Just…" Fia rested her face in her hands. "Well…" Karma gave her a look that meant 'Speak up already.' She sighed, "I just thought the ending, although pleasantly surprising, would really scare me if I was in the protagonist's shoes."

Karma smiled. "Don't worry, Tsu-chan. As if I'd let anyone hurt you - I want to keep you around for entertainment~"

"Hey!" she laughed as she threw the remainder of the orange peel at him. "Gee, thanks!" Fia yelled sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "The Sashimi Soldier is so very brave!"

"That I am. That's why I have this." A flash drive was dropped from his sleeve and into his hand. "I'll be right back~," He said with a grin.

* * *

After dinner, Haven went directly to her room to work on her computer.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Haven screamed. Everyone came running to the girls' bedroom.

"WHO DID THIS TO MY COMPUTER!?" She seethed.

"Kayano!?" Nagisa exclaimed as he saw the image spread across the nine monitors. His face turned slightly pink. Haven turned her three laptops to face her housemates. On each screen, "Kayano" smiled back.

"Oh dear, Nagisa, you'll have some explaining to do," Karma smirked.

"What does that mean?" Nagisa yelled exasperatedly.

"Well, you'll have to explain to your girlfriend why you've been spending so much time with a _foreign_ girl," Karma snickered.

"We are NOT a couple," Nagisa sighed.

"Really, I've got pictures of you two kiss-" Karma began.

"It happened ONCE!" Nagisa protested.

"More like fifteen times," Karma sadistically provoked the bluenette further. Nagisa facepalmed.

"I can contact Nakamura for extra proof. We both took photos," Karma continued.

Fia looked between her housemates. "Am I the only one who has no clue what's going on?"

"That's not all!" Haven moved the mouse around the screen. Instead of the usual arrow, there was a big, sparkly bow. "And the culprit completely reorganized my computers!" Haven growled. She tried to open a file, but a video popped up instead.

"Never gonna give you up, Never gonna let you down, Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry, Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you," the computer sang.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Haven screamed. "Wally, virus check, NOW!"

"Never gonna give you up, Never gonna let you down, Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry, Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you," Wally started.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Sorry, Haven. I am not sure what happened there," he apologized before reporting, "Ten minutes ago, a foreign program was downloaded. This is probably the cause of the problems."

Fia sweat-dropped. "Were you just… Rick-rolled?" She cringed, terrified that the troll video would make a comeback. "Karma? Did you do this?" He smiled at her, looking all too satisfied with himself. Karma twirled the thumb drive from earlier.

"Wally, revert to the most recent backup for each computer from before the foreign program was introduced," Haven grumbled. She turned to Karma, "You have taken this too far. You can mess with me, you can mess with my best friend, you can mess with this thing - " Haven shoved Benny's present in Karma's face " - But, you can NOT mess with my computers, especially my Wally," Haven yelled.

Fia ran and grabbed the guinea pig plush from Karma. She checked it over for injuries then carried it over to her bed, where she cuddled the cute thing. "I'm glad you're safe - … What was your name again? ANGEL, YOU DIDN'T GIVE HIM A NAME?!" She looked as if she had been seriously hurt.

"You name it, Tsu-chan," Haven mumbled while staring Karma down, "WHY DID YOU MESS WITH WALLY?!"

"Wasn't the intention," he admitted, "but this sure is hilarious. Hey, Wally. Can you sing again?" Karma laughed loudly.

"Wally, don't you dare!" Haven glared at the redhead who had caused all of this.

"Never gonna give you up, Never gonna let you down, Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry, Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Haven, I am sorry. I do not think I can speak without singing first. I believe this antic is called Rickrolling. Rickrolling is when a link is purposely mislabeled and directs the user to 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley. The reverting process is 25% complete," Wally replied. Karma began laughing. Haven glared daggers at him.

Karma grinned. "Nice work, Wally. You know, you're a real friend. You're never going to give her up or let her down - " he started.

"You will regret this," she growled.

Nagisa sighed and sat down on the edge of Fia's bed as he watched the chaos unfold. Fia cradled the white plush and tied a green ribbon around its neck.

"BACIO!" Fia cheered as she kissed the plush with a loud smooch. "Your name is Bacio!"

Nagisa sweat-dropped, amazed that the girl who was normally so very protective was completely off on her own planet - no, galaxy. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"Kisses~!" she grinned. " _Grazie, Angela~!"_ Fia put the plush down next to her on the bed. "Now that that matter has been settled, Angel, are you going to be alright?"

"I will be, _after_ my revenge," Haven muttered. "Wally, notify me the millisecond that the reversion is completed. If you want, save the past ten minutes of your memory bank. Send it to Ritsu, perhaps?"

"Never gonna give you up, Never gonna let you down, Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry, Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Yes, Haven," Wally nodded. Karma continued to laugh.

* * *

Wally: Reverting complete!

Haven: Thank you, Wally. (opens a laptop and starts typing)

Fia: You got that stupid song stuck in my head! Karma!

Karma: (laughing) Never gonna -

Nagisa: Please, not again.

Haven: Just WAIT! I'm going to figure out what makes you tick, Karma!

Fia: It's a little something called "sadism." (fake cheerfulness) That's what makes him tick!

Nagisa: Can't say I disagree with you.

Haven: I can't really use that against him…

Fia: Nagisa… Was that Kayano-person your ex-girlfriend or something?

Nagisa: (blushes) No! It wasn't like that.

Fia: But -

Nagisa: Look, Bacio!

Fia: WHERE?! (runs to find him)

Karma: Bacio?

Nagisa: (sweat-drops) That's right, you and Haven were bickering. Fia named the guinea pig plush "Bacio." It means "kisses" or something like that.

Karma: Oh, does it now? (smirks)

Nagisa: Haven't you caused enough chaos for one chapter?

Karma: Only for one chapter.

Haven: (going wide-eyed and staring at the computer screen) More like for several more chapters!

Nagisa: What do you mean?

Haven: (snaps computer closed) Nothing!

Narrator: This is playing out just like a movie. Where's my popcorn? Oh! The next chapter preview. In one word? Confessions.


	10. Chapter 10: Confession Time

The next morning started more quickly than any of the housemates would have liked.

"How are your classes going?" Haven asked as she entered the kitchen.

Karma looked at her curiously from where he was sitting . "What? You're not going to get angry again?" he asked with surprise.

Fia looked up from her bowl of cereal and between the two. "You know you can, Angel. I do it all the time. Go ahead, he's a big boy. He can handle himself," she said flatly. Karma reached over and tipped the edge of her spoon as she sipped from it, causing Fia to choke on her milk. "H-hey!" she yelled as she wiped her mouth.

"I'll let my actions speak louder than my words," Haven sat down at the table. "Could you get me a bowl and spoon from the kitchen, Nagisa?" she asked. Haven continued to stare down Karma even as Nagisa fulfilled her request. "Akabane, have you checked your grades recently?" Haven asked sweetly.

"Not really. Why?" he raised an eyebrow at her and lowered his spoon away from his mouth. Karma got up and went to his room to check his computer. Nagisa and Fia exchanged glances. A few minutes later, Karma re-entered the room with cold eyes and a very severe grimace. "What did you do?"

Being very familiar with that face, Nagisa sweat-dropped.

"What are you talking about?" Haven took a spoonful of cereal.

His face darkened in color and he began seeing red. "I worked hard for those grades!" he snapped.

"You actually put work into something?" Haven looked surprised.

Karma slammed his hands down on the table, much to Fia's alarm. "Change. Them. Back. NOW."

"Why?" she challenged him with a glare.

Fia stood quickly and panickedly looked between the three there. She gingerly put her hands on Karma's chest and tried to coax him into backing down. "Angel, can you please just change whatever it was back?" she pleaded, trying to end the conflict as quickly as possible. "W-we all had our fun, r-right?"

"Fun? Last night was fun?" Haven snapped.

She sweat-dropped. "Wrong choice of words…"

Karma smiled but his eyes were emotionless. "Oh, I'll show you fun if you don't change them back."

"It won't be anything I don't already expect from you or, at least, haven't already experienced from someone else," Haven gave him a similar smile.

Nagisa finally stood and joined in the efforts to calm the situation.

Fia's face flushed and her eyes watered as she screamed "STOP IT ALREADY!" at the top of her lungs. In the remaining silence, she shot hurt looks to her housemates. "Please…? We're housemates, and we're friends."

"Are we? I did a bit of digging, you see. I never imagined I would live with a professional murderer," Haven spat.

Three pairs of eyes widened at once.

Fia paled. "W-wait, what?! I thought we got away from that when we moved here!" The girl trembled slightly. "Y-you can't tell anyone!" she begged. " _Por favore,_ for my family's sake!"

Nagisa and Karma exchanged bewildered glances. Nagisa spoke first. "Um… Fia, what do you mean?"

Haven looked at Fia with shock. "What are you talking about? I looked into you Freshman year and couldn't find anything… except an opera performance in Venice."

Her cheeks flushed red. "That was one of my best performan - Wait… Angel, you didn't mean me…?" Fia paused. "WAIT, YOU DID A BACKGROUND CHECK ON ME - Actually, since we were going to be friends and room together, I guess it was for your safety and - "

Karma approached the babbling girl with interested eyes. "So… When your dad was talking about your bloodline, what did that mean?"

"Eh?" Fia gave him one of her signature blank faces. "O-oh! I-I-I, u-ummmmmmm… I, u-u-umm…" She rubbed the area over her heart, looking conflicted. "I come from… the second largest mafia group in Italy…" Fia's face flushed. "You b-better not mention it again. I'm serious this time, Akabane!"

"I thought your name seemed familiar. I finally realized that I had seen it in one of my Pentagon raids." Haven began coolly.

"YOU HACKED THE PENTAGON?! WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU - ? CAZZO - " Fia began cursing loudly. "WHAT ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY?!"

"What? I was bored!" Haven momentarily snapped out of her rigid composure.

Fia face-palmed. "Did you at least report it so you wouldn't get in trouble?"

"Of course! But they never fixed it," Haven pouted.

The Italian looked at her in disbelief. "You had time to check a second time…? Wait, don't answer that."

Haven regained her composure before starting again. "Six years ago, 70% of the moon exploded. It was all done by one person. He then went into teaching, giving his students the challenge of killing him before they graduated. The class given this dangerous mission was Class 3-E at Kunugigaoka Junior High School. Several students from that class went on to become assassins, but two of them stood out. They became assassins for the government. You are one of them. Did I get anything wrong, Chuunihan?" Haven explained with an uncanny calmness, her gaze did not leave once Karma's.

Fia looked at Karma with concern. He was dead silent and his eyes remained fixed on Haven as if assessing his options. She stepped around to look up at his face directly. "Is that… Is that all true, Karma?" she asked tentatively. "You and another student - " Fia froze and she turned to Haven. "You said two stood out? Angel, who was the other student?" Fia bit her lip but she had a feeling she already knew the answer to that question.

Haven's composure fell a bit as her gaze landed on Nagisa. She quickly looked away. "You were right, Tsu-chan, when you said our housemates weren't normal," Haven said.

"So here we are," Karma said cooly, "a professional-level hacker, a member of the mafia, and two assassins. This should be fun," a bitter smile graced his face.

Fia raised her hands. "Can I call a house meeting?" she laughed dryly. "We should really talk this out…"

"You should probably call your handler as well, Akabane," Haven suggested, frigidly.

Karma nodded at Nagisa and the bluenette began dialing a number on his cellphone. Annoyed, Karma pulled out a chair and sat down heavily with a huff. "Well, there goes my head."

Fia dragged a chair over to his, cringing as the legs screeched against the floor. She sat down quietly next to Karma and smiled meekly at him. Fia didn't know how to ease the tension in the room, but she wanted to try her best anyhow. "I don't know what your handler is like…" she started, "but Boss Alessandro was usually very understanding with us when we took the time to explain ourselves."

Karma scowled for a few seconds more before sighing. "Mafia, huh?"

She blushed. "I told you not to mention it… But, yeah, I was born in Italy to one of the biggest mafias around. Really, it was just my mom and dad's familys working together. That was the Miracle." Fia laughed lightly. "I was just a kid, but times were always happy. I had my older brother and sister with me, and, when my parents had work to do, the other consiglieres and caporegimes always played with me - not that I knew what they did."

Nagisa began listening with curiosity as he hung up the phone. Karma's demeanor relaxed just a tad as he listened to Fia somewhat-happily recount her childhood.

"It was really fun - I learned how to folk dance and I took opera lessons." Fia tried to animate the story as much as possible to lighten the mood. "I even won the Italian Bella award for cutest contestant in a pageant. Apparently, I had been giggling so much by the time I got onto the stage, that my cheeks were redder than a tomato and I couldn't speak, let alone stop smiling! It was an A-for-effort sort of deal."

"In other words, you pulled your connections?" Karma teased.

"No! _Mami_ said I would win off of good looks and charms alone - like every other girl born into the - " Fia blushed and put a finger to her lip. "Sorry, but you'll have to pay me overtime for names."

The boys chuckled. "So how did you come to live here?" Nagisa asked.

"We moved when I was 6," Fia said with a slight frown. "Something called the 'Collapse' occurred and the peace broke out between the four main families. With a bounty on their heads, my parents broke almost all contact, changed our names, and moved us to the United States. Please, do continue to think of me as a Timo," she laughed. "It's a part of who I am now. I've spent more time as a Timo than I had with my old name. It was hard adjusting…" Fia trailed off as she noticed that Haven seemed as mechanical and reclusive as ever. "But I tried my best and I met some really, really wonderful people." Fia hoped her words were reaching her friend, but she couldn't tell.

There was a loud knock at the door. Haven got up and opened it.

"Mr. Karasuma," she let him in, frigid as ever. He was followed in by a very familiar blonde. Haven was completely unphased by the development. Fia on the other hand, was completely shocked.

"MS. JELAVIC?!" Fia fell out of her seat. She tried to approach her teacher but the busty blonde stormed past her and began shaking Nagisa rather harshly by the shoulders.

"How did you let this happen?" Jelavic asked the dizzy bluenette. "Why didn't you stop that idiot?" she pointed accusingly at Karma.

Karasuma bowed in greeting to Haven, somewhat surprised that the small girl had known his name, and made his way over to the boys. He pounded on Karma's head with his fist and sighed. "You really messed this one up, didn't you?"

Karma rubbed his head. "Okay, I made a few mistakes," he grumbled, "but we might not be so screwed."

Jelavic shot him a look. "What do you mean?"

Nagisa and Karma exchanged glances then looked to the two girls.

Fia pouted. "Can someone please explain to me what's going on?"

* * *

"Do you understand the terms of the agreement?" Karasuma asked as he finished talking.

"Yes, I understand, but I haven't agreed yet," Haven replied frostily.

Fia looked uncomfortably between those sitting around her. "So… You want us to work with these two?" she asked, referring to Nagisa and Karma. "Or… at the very least, keep their identities secret. Is that about right? I think I understand, but I don't think I have any skills o-or anything really to offer you."

"My protoge will be assisting as well," Jelavic piped up.

"S-still," Fia stuttered.

Karasuma sighed. "Can we just trust you to keep Karma on track?"

"I still haven't agreed to these terms," Haven pointed out.

Fia rubbed her temples. "I… think I need to talk to my family first… W-would that be a-acceptable?" she shrunk back in her chair as she asked the intimidating man with the stern face.

"I can give you until tomorrow. My boss wants an answer by then," Karasuma replied.

The girl nodded quickly, the gratitude and relief showing all too obviously on her face. "Yes, thank you!" Fia jumped to her feet. "They live a little far, so if I can be excused - " Fia looked between Jelavic and Karasuma. "Please, look after my housemates," Fia quickly performed a gesture of respect and hurried out.

Jelavic placed her chin in her palm as she stared at Haven with round, blue eyes. "Oohh, I see what Fia means when she says you're easy to talk to - or, at least, easy to talk at." Haven stared back, extremely unamused.

Karasuma sighed. "Irina… So, Haven, are we in agreement or do you need some time to think as well?"

"Why should I help you? What do I get from this agreement, besides my life?" she asked.

"For starters, you get access to some of the best technology our governments have to offer. On top of that, it wouldn't be illegal for you to get access to some of our more sensitive documents."

"I can hack some of the higher levels of the pentagon in half an hour on an average laptop without being detected."

Jelavic sighed. "What do you want then? Money? You can have it. Fame? Sure, among the top levels of assassins. Hot guys? Well, I got me mine right here~" She blew a kiss at Karasuma who sighed but blushed slightly.

"We're on the job, Irina."

"You're no fun!" she pouted. "But seriously, kid. What do you want in life? What are you going to get out of a mundane life like this?"

"I received my first offer from the CIA when I was 17. My mother had me turn that offer and every following one down. Give me a permanent position with your organization without her knowing and I might agree," Haven replied.

Karasuma searched the girl's face. "You're serious, aren't you? I'll give the proposal to my boss and get back to you in the morning. You should have a final answer by then. Nagisa - " he turned to the bluenette " - try to talk to her, will you? I'd hate to see the loss of an innocent life."

"Or the loss of some good potential!" Jelavic added.

Nagisa nodded and saw the two off. He looked to Karma who got up slowly and began heading to the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Out," the taller male responded flatly.

"Try not to get into any more trouble," Nagisa said with a warning.

"Yeah, I got it, Mom." Karma closed the door behind him.

Sighing, Nagisa sat down across from Haven. He smiled warily. "A lot happened, huh?"

"You could say that," Haven replied. She was still very reserved, but the day was obviously taking its toll on her.

He didn't know where to begin. If anyone understood the situation at hand, it would be Haven, but Nagisa really wanted her to say 'yes' to the agreement.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blow your cover in such a volatile manner," Haven sighed.

Nagisa smiled wryly. "It's alright… I would love to say 'I should have told you the truth' but that's not exactly how it works. Still, I'm somehow glad that we can all be honest with each other." The bluenette resolved himself to just say what was on his mind. "Haven, won't you say 'yes' to the agreement, regardless of Karasuma's answer? I don't like the idea of all our good times just ending like this. I-I want to keep having fun and hanging out with you. We promised to watch movies again sometime, didn't we?"

"I'm not going out on a limb here for a position, I've been offered similar ones before. I'm confident that the answer will be yes, so in a sense, I've already agreed. I just want to make sure nothing funny happens at the end either. It's just insurance," Haven explained.

Nagisa waited a few moments before nodding in understanding and sighing in relief. "I'm glad to hear. Anyway, you should probably rest up a little bit more; it's going to be a long day."

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time the apartment complexes finally came into view. Fia sighed and tiredly dragged her feet as she walked. Why did her family have to be so… Themselves?

"Fia?"

Fia looked around and saw a particular redhead laying in the grass of the quad. He had one arm covering an eye; it was obvious that he had been napping there for some time. Slowly, Fia made her way over to where Karma was and sat beside him, admiring the warm hues of the leaves tucked in between the blades of grass.

Leaning slightly, Fia loomed over the redhead. "Karma?"

"You're blocking my sun," he replied lazily. Even so, he looked at her with a serious expression. "How did it go?"

Fia stole a glance at her bandaged left hand. "I might not have mentioned what I might be doing, but I did tell them that the secret is out." Gingerly moving to lay down in the grass next to him, she continued, "Mio and Mia proposed we book one-way plane tickets to Italy and have you offed there. Lupe was hell-bent on the idea of making you her permanent prince. In the end, I managed to convince everyone that this might be for the better."

Karma nodded. "Good to know. I'll tell Karasuma. What happened to your hand?" He reached over and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his face for closer inspection.

"N-nothing much," Fia blushed as she pulled her hand away. "It's just how we swear oaths in my family." She gently massaged her aching ring finger. "I swore that you guys would never hurt the family. You could say I've married my words," she said with a wary laugh. "I've given my life to those words - until death do us part." Olive eyes searched orange ones. "So you better not let me down, you got that?"

"Wouldn't dream of it." Karma extended his hand to Fia and she hesitantly grasped it. "I look forward to working with you, Fia Timo." He shook her hand with a light-hearted smile.

She smiled as she squeezed his hand back. "And I look forward to keeping you out of trouble, Karma Akabane."

Their gazes met and they laughed. "I'd like to see you try."

* * *

"My agency said that until you graduate, you're going to be under a probationary stage. After that, they will decide whether or not you will get a permanent position," Karasuma reported.

"Why not just hire me?" Haven asked suspiciously.

Karasuma gave her a peculiar look. "There's a file on you and you appear to be a bit of a loose cannon, kid. You've hacked large businesses and all sorts of intelligence organizations, but you haven't done anything with the information yet. What is your goal? Do you really just want a job or are you planning to take countries to their knees?"

"A loose cannon, you say," Haven looked at him, slightly shocked. Everything he had just said was logical, but she had never thought of it. Was she a loose cannon? Like her mother? Haven wilted a bit at the thought. "I guess you wouldn't believe me if I said I hacked because I was bored and had no plans for the information," she smiled wryly.

"Can't be too careful after you leaked information about our top two assassins," the man commented. Haven sighed in response.

"Do you accept the agreement?" Karasuma asked.

Haven nodded slowly, "One provision though, keep me busy. If I get bored, I will start hacking again."

"Thank you for your cooperation. I'll retrieve your roommate's answer, and you'll receive more details at a later time." Karasuma stood and held his hand out to the younger girl. She shook it, with slight begrudgement. Karasuma left the apartment and Haven opened her laptop.

"Wally, am I a loose cannon?" she asked as she flopped onto her bed.

"There are arguments for and against that statement," Wally replied evenly.

* * *

Karasuma stared between the pair that was sleeping peacefully in the quad. Squatting down, he lightly shook them both awake. He didn't really want to bother them after such an eventful morning, but he had to get an answer.

Karma was the first to stir. He sat up suddenly and looked around with bewildered eyes. He first saw Karasuma, and then Fia who was curled up under his jacket. The redhead ran his hand through his hair, although it was sticking up everywhere and wouldn't smooth down anyway, and looked to Karasuma. His boss and former teacher pointed to the girl. Karma shook his head, mouthing "I don't want to die today, man."

Sighing, Karasuma attempted to wake the girl again. Fia sat up with a startled shout and started flailing as if to defend herself from some unknown, otherworldly assailant. Karma sweat-dropped and grabbed her wrists. The girl, albeit still startled, looked from the redhead restraining her to the man staring at her with a wary smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized.

Karma rubbed Fia's wrists as a quick 'sorry' and let her go. She turned back to face Karasuma with red cheeks. "N-no, sorry that I acted… Like that."

Karasuma shook his head. "It's natural. Anyway, back to business. I do need an answer, Fia."

Fia smiled at Karma. "Yeah, since my parents aren't going to kill me, you don't have to either. I'll work with you." She stuck her hand out and smiled. "I-I still don't know what I can do, but I'll try my best."

"That's all I'm asking for," he replied as he shook her hand in return.

Blushing slightly, Fia looked away. "So… You and Ms. Jelavic?"

Taken aback slightly, Karasuma rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. Something like that."

"Something like that?" Karma laughed. "They're married."

"No way, really?" Fia asked. "Ms. Jelavic is so young though!"

"What can I say? She's one hell of a woman," he sighed.

Fia laughed. "My dad says the same thing about my mom all the time. He's so in love with her, it's kind of cute."

The normally stoic man's composure cracked just a little, especially as a blonde lady through her arms around his neck from behind. "That he is!" Jelavic cheered.

Karma and Fia exchanged glances. "Ms. Jelavic? How long have you been here?" they asked together.

"Long enough," she said with a satisfied smile. Releasing Karasuma and putting her hands on her hips, she grinned. "You better get home and rest up, Fia. Starting tomorrow, I become your teacher for more than just acting!"

Fia sweat-dropped. Jelavic's chest bounced as she laughed loudly. Subconsciously, Fia wrapped her arms around herself, not liking where this seemed to be going.

"Acting?" Karma questioned.

Steam almost flew out of Fia's ears. She looked at him with a red face. "I-I thought it w-would help with the sh-shyness!"

"Oh, it will~" Jelavic grinned as she grabbed Fia from behind and began fondling her chest. The smaller girl shrieked and her face glowed red in embarrassment. "C'mon! We're going to put your good looks to use!"

Karasuma and Karma simultaneously sweatdropped.

* * *

Fia pushed the door to the apartment open and ran inside, still flustered. Karma casually followed and shut the door, looking around. He spotted Haven in the kitchen and turned to leave again, worried about an impending explosion, but Fia grabbed him by the back of his jacket and pulled him over.

Still dragging the redhead behind her and paling as she approached the white-haired girl in the kitchen, Fia smiled warily. "What are you doing, Angel?"

"You weren't home Tsu-chan! I was getting hungry," Haven complained.

"Y-you couldn't just go to the cafeteria or o-order in?" Fia released Karma, giving him a firm stay-put glare, before gently pushing Haven away from the stove. "What… what is this?" Fia stared down at the pot in disbelief and slight disgust.

"I was trying to cook pasta," Haven mumbled.

Karma peered into the pot over Fia's head and flinched back. "What the hell did she mean by pasta?" Leaning against Karma for support, Fia paled more and more by the second. This was the food of her nation, and this black, bubbling concoction is what had become of it.

"I-It looks like y-you were off to a-a-a g-good start, Angel!" Fia forced a smile as she turned off the stove and guided Haven to the kitchen table.

Within the next 15 minutes, Fia had somehow managed to dump out the 'pasta,' take out the trash, begin boiling a new batch of Angel hair pasta next to a cooking pot of spaghetti sauce, and convince Karma, Nagisa, and Haven to sit down at the table together.

"Nagisa, you're the mediator. Haven, Karma. Start talking." Fia's stern face instantly melted. "Pretty please?"

After a few long moments, Nagisa untied his pigtails and let his hair hang loose. Slipping the hair ties into their places on either of his wrists, he sighed. "Neither of you are really willing to talk first, huh?"

Karma scowled. "I might be once that changes my grades back," he spat.

"I might change grades, after I get an apology for messing with my computers," Haven said to no one in particular.

"I'm serious," Nagisa said sternly, "you two both need to apologize. We're going to be a team from now on - not just housemates, but people who are guarding each other's lives. You don't have to be friends, but I would like to have a truce of some sort."

Fia sighed. "I'm with Nagisa on this one… Angel, you're my best friend, and I don't like seeing you angry like this."

Nagisa shot a look at Karma. "And you should just know better, Karma."

"Fine, I'm sorry I messed with your grades," Haven sighed.

Karma muttered, "I'm sorry that I messed with your computer - I really didn't it would get that bad."

"I'll change your grades back now," Haven went to get one of her laptops. She returned momentarily and started typing rapidly. "That does NOT mean I even remotely trust you," Haven glared at him.

The redhead stuck his tongue out. "The feeling is mutual then." He got a shared look from Fia and Nagisa. He sweat-dropped but conceded. "But, thanks," he muttered to Haven. He mouthed an 'are you satisfied?' to the other two and they both nodded, looking more content now that the tension was ebbing.

"Anyone want pasta~?" Fia called from the kitchen. She brought over four plates of spaghetti.

Now on the same page, the four housemates were able to share a meal in relatively comfortable silence.

* * *

Karma: How's your hand?

Fia: Healing. Don't worry -

Karma: (teasingly) I'm not worried, I just don't want you bleeding on my food.

Fia: HEY! I would never defile the purity of a good meal! Good food brings people together and is completely universal. You don't need to speak to communicate your feelings - (talking Karma's ear off)

Nagisa: Well, at least those two are getting back to normal again.

Haven: Wow. I think that's the most I've talked in one scene this whole story.

Fia: How is it that Karasuma gets the point across to Haven that she can't just go around hacking things in four sentences? I've spent two and a half years telling her the exact same thing!

Karma: … Jelavic.

Nagisa: What about her?

Karma: (smirking) You two were getting along really well, weren't you, Tsu-chan?

Fia: (turns red and guards her chest) WHAT'S THAT S-SUPPOSED TO MEAN?

Narrator: Does the audience even read the comment box? Please tell me if you do! Anyways, next chapter, Halloween is coming up for these four! Will I get to see Karma in cat ears? It would be a tricky feat, but a real treat for all of us!

Fia: (looking around, bewildered) Isn't anyone going to comment on how Nagisa looks more like a boy with his hair down…?

Haven: I like the pigtails!


	11. Chapter 11: Halloween Time

As she heard the familiar tune of 'O Sole Mio,' Fia reached her hand out to her nightstand and groped for the phone to shut off its alarm. That accomplished, Fia rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. It was already Halloween; the last few weeks had flown by quickly with midterms nipping at their heels. Pulling off her covers, she hopped out of bed and got ready for the day.

Fully dressed and purposefully passing a package from her mother that was propped up against their door, Fia went into the kitchen to make breakfast. She was surprised to see that Karma was already awake and busily making caramel apples in the kitchen.

"Well, good morning, Tsu-chan~" he called.

Fia approached with a smile, pleasantly surprised that Karma was in a good mood so early in the morning for once. She was startled and stopped in her tracks when a rose was brought close to her face. Looking from the rose to the redhead, Fia cautiously leaned forward to smell the fragrant flower. Before she knew it, however, the rose had been swapped out for a bat that had begun clinging to her face.

Olive eyes widened to their full extent and the girl's body instantly became still in fear. She wanted to scream instinctually but Fia didn't want to hurt the fluffball on her face either. Opting for flailing her arms instead, Fia tried to get Karma to take the crawling creature off.

Karma only clutched his sides as he cackled at her. "Trick or cheat, Fia. There aren't any other options!"

Fia glared at him as she coaxed the black bat off of her face and onto her chest. She protectively cradled the cute creature, afraid of what would happen if she let Karma get ahold of him again. "Where did you even get this little guy?" she whispered harshly, both angry - more like embarrassed - at falling for Karma's tricks and worried about the bat.

"He flew into me this morning," Karma said with a shrug. "I took him inside to make sure he was fine and I wanted to let him go, but then you woke up and I thought it would be a perfect prank!"

"You've been up since before dawn?" she asked incredulously.

"Of course," Karma replied. "It's Halloween. The only day no one has any excuse to stop me from having my fun~" he grinned sadistically, much to Fia's dissatisfaction.

"You've got something in your hair," Fia said as she reached her hand up towards Karma's head.

"I do?" he asked.

"Yeah," Fia gleamed. "HORNS!" She ruffled his hair quickly and ran off, baby bat in hand, laughing.

* * *

Nagisa and Haven stared at the apples sitting in front of them at the table.

"Are these for us?" Nagisa asked his white-haired companion.

"No idea," Haven shook her head and grabbed one.

"Well, Karma is asleep, so maybe Fia made these for us?" Nagisa surmised as picked up an apple. "Cheers?"

"Cheers," Haven took a bite of the apple and instantly spit it out. "WHAT IS THIS?!"

Nagisa had a very similar reaction except his mouth and tongue were turning red and swelling. He choked up his apple and ran to the sink where he started drinking directly from the faucet. A particular redhead's laughter resounded through the hall.

"AKABANE!" Haven screamed at the red head. "Don't give me a reason to hack the grade book again!"

"Man, I didn't think you'd have that reaction," he laughed as he entered the room. "I could hear you guys all the way from the bedroom. Was the sriracha-wasabi combo really that bad, Nagisa? Or was it the chili powder and mustard?" Karma inspected the apple in Haven's hand. "Oohhh, you got the bitter melon and lemon combo." He laughed again. "I'm not too worried about that," Karma said. "I already talked to my professors about watching my grades because of a 'glitch' in the system. They promised to check daily." The redhead paused. "Where's Fia? I want her to try one of these babies out for herself!"

"Tsu-chan, don't touch the apples," Haven yelled a warning to her best friend.

"I know," Fia said as she came in through the front door. "I meant to warn you earlier but I was seeing off my _mio amico_."

Karma raised an eyebrow. "You mean the bat?"

She scowled. "No, Bacio my plush - Of course I mean the bat! He's fine no thanks to you!"

"What bat? Did I really miss seeing my favorite animal?" Haven exclaimed.

Nagisa removed an ice pack from his swollen lips. "Bat?"

Fia waved her hand dismissively. "Sorry, Angel, but I couldn't endanger the cutie by letting THAT ONE get any closer to him than he already had!"

Karma laughed when he saw Nagisa. "Who are you going to kiss with those lips, Nagisa? Want me to call Kayano?"

Nagisa turned slightly pink. "Karma!"

"What? You do know what day it is, don't you?"

"Oh, no. It's Halloween," the bluenette looked defeated by his own words.

"That's right~!" Karma cheered loudly, much to the girls' shared annoyance.

* * *

Nagisa and Fia found Karma sitting on the couch, building contraptions as he movie-marathoned a bunch of horror films playing on the tv.

"He looks awfully satisfied with himself," Fia whispered to Nagisa.

Nagisa nodded. "He's definitely up to no good. Do you have the goods?"

Fia nodded and handed the package to him. Nagisa looked in the paper bag and gave Fia a thumbs up. With that, the operation began. Stealthily stepping little by little closer to the back of the couch.

Karma was already a goner.

The redhead's instincts kicked in and he tried to jump out of the way but he noticed a second too late. Before he knew it, Nagisa had him pinned down and was messing with his hair. Karma reached for Nagisa to retaliate but the bluenette jumped back.

"Fia, I got him!" Nagisa called.

Fia rushed over and, mimicking Karma's style, began taking a barrage of photos on her cellphone. She checked her screen and grinned. "Nagisa! I got him!"

Karma's eyes widened and he reached for his head. "W-what the hell are these?!" he yelled as his cheeks turned red and his expression became angry.

Nagisa and Fia high-fived. "Ribboned cat ears and a super glue of Fia's own creation! Good luck removing those," Nagisa said cheerfully. Fia curtsied next to him, proud of her chemical prowess.

"What's going on?" Haven asked as she walked into the room. "I could hear you guys from down the hall. Akabane, are you wearing cat ears? That's HILARIOUS!" Haven disappeared behind one of the couches because she was laughing so hard.

Karma's cheeks flushed as he tried to yank off the cat ears, but, true to Nagisa's word, they wouldn't come off.

"Happy Halloween, Karma," the bluenette said, satisfied that he had gotten his revenge.

"I wish I had been around to help!" Haven got to her feet. "I'll just have to pull my own trick on you later." She went to her room to scheme, laughing all the way.

Fia sighed. "Now I only wish we had given him a tail. It'd be so cute, flicking around in frustration!"

Jumping to his feet and clenching his fists, Karma looked as if he was about to start a fight. "Alright, you got me good. Now, seriously, is there a way to remove these?"

Fia smiled and she nodded, pulling a small bottle from her pocket. "This should neutralize the glue." Karma smiled as he reached for the bottle, but Fia pulled it back at the last second. She ignored the angry glare she was receiving. "You think you could say 'please'?"

He grumbled, annoyed that the girl was looking at him so earnestly. "Please." Karma was frustrated to see that the girl hadn't budged one bit. "What now?" His tone screamed embarrassed and frustrated.

"Can you say it in cat…?" Fia asked, tilting her head.

Karma mentally cursed. She was serious. "No friggin' way am I - " He remembered that the girl held his only option in her hands. "N-nya…" he sighed begrudgingly. "Now give it."

Fia stared up at him with sparkly eyes. "That… That was so cute!" she squealed. Pushing the bottle into his hands to free her own, Fia reached up to grab at his cat ears. "Too cuuuuuuutteee!"

It took some time for Karma to pry the squealing girl off of him, but as soon as he had, he shot Nagisa a malicious grin. "Thanks. I admit, you guys really took me by surprise, but don't think you'll be able to sneak up on me again. You hear that, Nagisa?" he smirked. "It's on."

Nagisa smiled but his eyes were cold and determined. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

It didn't take long for the boys to draft a declaration of war with regulations, concessions, and victory clauses. The prank war would last from noon to six, pranks limited to spaces within the apartment and to nothing explosive or hazardous to one's physical health. Each housemate begins with a clean slate. At six, the housemate with the most successful pranks wins, is dubbed king/queen for the night, and may have the remaining housemates fulfill any one request. In the event of a tie, the prize of victory is split. Alliances are permitted; Breaking one's alliance is punishable by prank. The breaking of any rules will result in immediate elimination - and the rule breaker receives a job on the cleaning crew with the rest of the losers. The victor may, at any time, change those situated on the cleaning crew. Signing their names at the bottom of the printed document, the four shook hands, Haven and Karma begrudgingly, and all ran off to prepare with the last two hours they had.

* * *

As the campus' clock tower struck its bell twelve times, Fia became the first victim. She opened the fridge to see that it was leaking what looked like blood. The red liquid cascaded from shelf to shelf and began pooling in refrigerated drawers. "MY FOOD!" she screamed in dismay and, devastated, sank to her knees. Point 1 fell to Karma.

Karma couldn't believe this. He had gone to the bathroom to wash his hands after setting up his fridge trap, but the last 15 minutes of holding the soap under the water hadn't yielded a single sud. This was one of the many reasons he hated nail polish, along with the manicures he had periodically received from a particular teacher during his middle school years. Karma had looked around but all of the liquids from the shampoo, conditioner, and liquid soap containers had been neatly switched. With all the bottles there, he really had no clue which the soap could be in. Staring at the red dye staining his hands, Karma growled angrily. Point 2 was Nagisa's.

Nagisa chuckled as he heard Karma frustratedly going through the bathroom cabinets. He knew he had to be on guard from Karma, who was both clever and thorough. He avoided the kitchen and didn't sit down on the couches, taking precautions against whatever might be waiting for him. He attempted to enter his room while Karma was preoccupied but, when he opened the door, a chalk eraser fell and bounced off his head. Coughing, he dusted himself off and inspected the eraser. It was definitely from the chalkboard Fia used for writing out chemical equations. Point 3 was Fia's.

Fia came running to her bedroom as soon as Haven called out to her. Fia couldn't believe that Bacio had fallen victim to the prank war too! SHE WOULD NOT STAND FOR SUCH AN INJUSTICE. She swooped into her room and looked for Bacio, but she was completely horrified by what she saw. There were an array of black, insect-looking things crawling over her plush. "MY BABY!" she screeched. It took, at least, ten minutes for Haven to calm her roommate down and show her that the black bugs were only hexbug nanos connected to computer. Hugging Bacio tightly and protectively in her arms, Fia conceded Point 4 to Haven.

Haven felt bad as she rubbed Fia's back comfortingly. The girl looked like she was about to cry, if her teary eyes and sniffling nose were any indications. Haven really hadn't thought Fia would react that badly considering that Fia seemed to have no trouble capturing spiders and letting them out. She supposed that it was because the hexbugs were crawling on Bacio that the girl had panicked so much. She got up and went to the kitchen to retrieve a can she knew was rigged. Sighing, she sat back down next to Fia.

"Here, we should eat something," Haven said flatly. She unenthusiastically opened the lid, only to have a bunch of fabric snakes jump out at her. Forcing a horribly fake surprised face, Haven monotonously cried, "Oh, no. You got me Fia."

"R-really?" she asked, wiping her eyes with a smile.

"Really." Haven sighed in relief, glad that her friend was feeling better. Point 5 was given to Fia.

Karma was more than a little annoyed. He had tried to turn on the tv to watch the presidential debate, but once he had turned the tv on he found that it only had one channel: one that repeatedly played Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up.' To make matters worse, the remote had stopped functioning and the tv's manual buttons were jammed. He couldn't figure out how to turn screen let alone get it to shut the hell up. "HAVEN!" he yelled angrily. Point 6 was Haven's.

Nagisa glared at the toilet. He didn't know how Karma had done it, but the arrogant redhead had stolen his notebook, stuck it in a ziplock back with a couple of rocks, and set it to sink in the toilet. Doing that was one thing, but the fact that Karma had dyed the toilet water electric blue was highly unsettling to Nagisa. He knew that if his skin made contact with the vile looking liquid, it would definitely stain. Nagisa gingerly placed his hands on the toilet seat for support and leaned over, but he was startled when the toilet seat began became unstable under his hands and made a loud array of popping noises. The bluenette raised the toilet seat to see that Karma had also lined the toilet seat with bubblewrap. He facepalmed. Points 7 and 8 went to Karma.

Standing outside the bathroom door, Karma smirked as he heard Nagisa attempting to get his notebook from the toilet. He put his hands in his pockets and made his way back to his room to prepare for his next attack. When he opened the door, an avalanche of black and pink balloons poured out from his room and pooled all around his feet. Karma, annoyed, stomped his way inside, popping as many balloons on his way as he could. Glaring around his room, Karma growled. He recognized the balloons as the ones from Haven's birthday. "NAGISA!" Point 9 was totally Nagisa's.

The bluenette sighed as he grabbed paper towels from the kitchen. Fia stared at his forearms which were completely blue. He quietly and quickly began wiping his arms and then the ziplock that held his notebook. Once he'd freed his paper pal, Nagisa slipped it back into his vest pocket with a sigh. Their gazes met and Nagisa walked over to where the forlorn Fia was curled up in the living room. He sighed and sat down on the couch next to her only to hear a long, slow release of flatulence.

Nagisa facepalmed. "Really, Fia?"

She blushed. "I forgot that I had put the whoopee cushion there, to be honest…"

Smiling warily, Nagisa reached over to give Bacio a friendly pat. "Well, I guess the point is yours anyway." With that, Fia won Point 10.

Glancing at the time, Fia and Haven nodded to each other. The last three hours had gone by slowly, but they knew that the boys were likely to kick things into high gear now that their time was more than halfway up. Fia smiled, knowing that Nagisa's prank was about to hit Karma hard. The redhead tore down the hallway, scratching at his inflamed skin. He ran to the kitchen sink only to find that it had been turned into a gigantic fishbowl. Warily eyeing the swimming silver fish that had come from who knows where, Karma reached to turn on the faucet, which resulted in him getting a strong spray of water to his face. The girls started laughing. Points 11, 12, and 13 were happily split among Nagisa, Haven, and Fia.

Everything went to hell after that and, by the time six o'clock rolled around, the four housemates found themselves sitting back to back on the floor of the living room, mostly because nowhere else in the apartment could be considered safe. The television was turned towards the wall and the couches had been flipped upside down while their respective cushions had been glued to the floor. In the kitchen, the table seemed to be missing all four of its legs while the chairs were all attached to the ceiling. More than one sink was spewing water like a miniature fountain and the toilet was unbearable to look at. All the clocks in the house were set to different times, most of them ringing, and all of the lightbulbs across the apartment had been replaced with Christmas lights. Those were synchronized to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller,' courtesy of Haven's laptop. The floor looked like a psychedelic lava lamp as if to mimic the colorful light display.

The housemates themselves didn't look as if they were in much better shape. Karma coughed on the downy feathers and flour clinging to every inch of his body just the same as Nagisa was still ripping duct tape and confetti from his clothes. Haven's hair was an atrociously obvious neon pink, which seemed to make her skin look even paler than what was normal. Fingertips to elbow dyed bright blue, Nagisa was also colored and looking none too happy about it. Fia had managed to escape the ink war that had broken out, but her bra was frozen and full of plastic ants, and her legs were still tangled in too many layers of plastic wrap, which wasn't much better in her opinion. It meant that she couldn't scoot away from Karma, even when his feathers began clinging to her instead.

Karma proudly smiled as he declared, "I believe I'm the winner!"

Fia and Haven simultaneously groaned, concerned about what the redhead would demand from them as his consolation prize.

Nagisa gave the three a bewildered look. "Are you sure? I thought Fia was the winner."

"Huh?" she looked at him in confusion before beginning counting on her fingers. "One, two, three, fo - You're right~!" Fia exclaimed gleefully.

"Congratulations, Fia," Nagisa said with a smile.

"Wait, how?" Karma protested. "There's no way Fia pulled better pranks than I did!"

"Well, no…" Fia started, "But I did have the highest number of successful pranks."

Nagisa shook his head. "Karma, you and I were so occupied with trying to take each other out that we didn't notice any of her pranks."

Karma sighed. "Those can hardly be called pranks. Where's the creativity or class?"

Haven replied with an unamused tone, "Since when are you classy?"

Giggling, Fia poked the sweat-dropping Karma. "I got Nagisa with the chalk and the whoopee cushion, Haven with the can of snakes and fake spiders, and you with good old-fashioned bucket-over-the-door and made-you-look." His face reddened as he got annoyed. "Not only that, but I got all three of you with banana peels and the hand-shocker thingies! Karma, I can't believe you fell for that~!"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Karma sighed. "So where does that leave us?"

Nagisa thought for a quick moment. "Fia won with 28 points, you follow with 23 points, and Haven and I both tied at 17 points. Fia, as the winner, you are now the Queen of Halloween! What would you like?"

"As they say, slow and steady wins the race. Good job Tsu-chan," Haven smiled wryly.

Fia laughed happily. "I guess so. Well, first, I'd like for us to clean up so I can whip us up some dinner. I do, however, dismiss Haven from her position on the cleaning crew in fear of what may happen to all that she touches. Stay out of the kitchen, Angel."

"Just let me get my fish first," Haven went and grabbed the silver fish from the kitchen sink before slinking back to her room.

Nagisa stared after the pink-haired girl. "Did she say 'fish'?"

* * *

Surprisingly, it didn't take Karma and Nagisa long at all to clean up everything. After correcting the entirety of the apartment and taking quick showers, the boys walked into the kitchen and joined Haven at the table. It had gotten its legs back, but it was still slightly off balance. Fia dished out a pizza decorated with a cheese spider web. She also brought out pumpkin pie and white-chocolate-dipped strawberries that looked like ghosts. The four had a relatively peaceful dinner, laughing - and cringing - as they reminisced about the day's prank highlights.

Fia smiled as Haven carried their empty plates to the kitchen sink. "So, for my victory prize," she started carefully, "I would like us all to dress up for Halloween."

Nagisa looked from the dark landscape through the window to Fia. "It might be a little late to go out and buy some costumes," Nagisa said, "and I didn't exactly think to bring any here."

Sighing heavily, Fia rested her face in her hands. "To tell you the truth, my mom sent me some costumes for the four of us and she insists that I send her pictures."

Karma raised an eyebrow. "I can't say I mind, but how did your mom get our sizes?"

Fia smiled bitterly. " _Mami_ is the type who can measure you up with only her eyes. So, shall we try them on?"

A few moments later, each person re-entered the kitchen fully clad in their costume.

Karma strolled in confidently, completely comfortable in his black tuxedo. A heavy rifle was strapped to his back and Karma grinned from under his fedora. "I have to say, this outfit isn't half-bad."

"Speak for yourself!" Nagisa exclaimed. The bluenette was struggling to pull down a pleated skirt that was situated under a black vest and collared shirt. To make matters worse, his thigh-high stockings seemed to be falling as he struggled to stay balanced in the heeled shoes.

Karma burst out laughing and began taking photos immediately.

Haven sighed as she saw the two. "You can switch with me, Nagisa," she offered. In contrast to Nagisa's outfit, Haven had been given actual pants. They were held up by pink suspenders that crossed over the back of her black, long-sleeved button down shirt. Haven tightened the pink tie around her neck and adjusted the hat on her still-pink hair.

"Sorry about that," Fia apologized. "My mom thought you two would look better in the other gender's clothing." The Italian girl sighed as she tried to squeeze her collared, gray pinstripe jacket closer around her, but to no avail. The jacket's neckline was conducive to showing off everything every curve Fia did not want noticed. To make matters worse, her jacket split at her hip, creating a long slit that revealed lacy garters and tall boots. Her tie seemed stuck in her cleavage and her cheeks seemed to be stained a brighter shade of pink than Haven's hair.

Karma wolf-whistled at her jokingly and Fia shot him a very nasty glare. "Oh, Tsu-chan finally got some attitude," he laughed.

Shaking their heads, knowing that an impending argument was about to ensue, Haven and Nagisa left to switch outfits.

Fia scowled and made her way over to Karma. Grabbing him by the collar, she yanked him down to her height and pressed the icy barrel of a gun against his cheek. "It's only a prop, but it's realistic, right?" Fia smiled, mimicking Karma's behavior from the first night they met. Too surprised by her change in demeanor to react, Karma froze. Fia let go of Karma suddenly. "Wait a minute! Those guns from when you first moved in weren't props at all, were they?!" Fia's face flushed and it appeared as if she were back to her normal self.

Karma recovered quickly. "Nope~!" he responded cheerfully.

"SO YOU PUT A REAL GUN TO MY FACE?!" Fia cried in dismay.

He laughed. "The safety was on and it wasn't like they were loaded - "

"KARMA!"

Grinning, he poked her cheek with a finger. "So, you learn that trick from Ms. Bitch, or what?"

Crossing her arms, Fia looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean?"

Nagisa sweat-dropped as he walked back into the kitchen. "Fia, what's with the mafia motif? Isn't your family trying to keep that a secret?"

Fia sighed. "This is her way of being ironic and reminding all of us that we better keep our mouths shut," she explained.

"You know, Nagisa. I think the other outfit suited you more," the redhead commented as he turned towards the front door.

Haven ambled into the kitchen with a thoughtful expression. "I think he looks nice."

"Shut up, Karma. Wait, where are you going?" Nagisa questioned. He tried to suppress a blush.

"To terrorize the children, of course~" he replied with a sadistic grin.

"Like hell, you will!" Fia snorted as she grabbed the back of his jacket. "I still need to get one picture for my family and, as Queen of Halloween, I declare that we have to go trick-or-treating! Or at least play one good game of Ghosts in the Graveyard!"

* * *

Nagisa: (panting) Is it over?

Fia: Yeah, but I regret asking Karma to be the ghost. HE'S A DEMON!

Haven: (flatly) You just noticed?

Karma: Aw, c'mon, guys. We were just starting to have some fun.

Nagisa: No offense, Karma, but most people don't consider terrorizing and harassing to be fun, let alone some of their specialties.

Fia: Karma… When did you have time to carve all those pumpkins?

Karma: (twirling a knife) What can I say? I'm quick on my feet and good with my hands, you need that to be an assassin.

Fia: And… this is how he vanquished his enemies, beheading them and carving his mark into their faces.

Nagisa: (pulling at Fia's sleeve) Did… Did someone give Haven candy?

Nagisa, Fia, Karma: … (deadpan)

Haven: What's wrong, Tsu-chan~? (happily holding a bucket full of candy to her chest)

Karma: (starts walking away) I'm not dealing with this shit.

Fia: Wait, Karma! (chases)

Nagisa: (stares as Haven began biting the heads of some Swedish Fish gummies) So… Haven?

Haven: Yes, Gisa?

Nagisa: What was with that fish from earlier? You know, the silver one?

Haven: It was a robot. Wally had fun taking on the perspective of a fish. Would you believe me if I said it was my robotics project?

Everyone: (sweat-drops) Not really...

Haven: Well, Wally, did you have fun?

Wally: Yes, Haven. The experience was novel and enjoyable.

Narrator: Who replaced my mint toothpaste with wasabi?! (sighs) Next time, twelve hours in an elevator? Haven, are you sure you want to go through with this?


	12. Chapter 12: Elevator Time

Haven followed a familiar person into the elevator. She went in quickly and quietly, making sure not to let the other person notice her entrance before the elevator doors closed and the compartment began to ascend.

"Hello," she said softly. The male turned around quickly.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Dick growled. He was surprised to see Haven here, and this was certainly one of the last places he wanted to see her. How did she even find out where he lived?

"We need to talk," Haven replied.

"Like hell we do!" Dick began pressing buttons, trying to escape from the enclosed space as fast as he could. Suddenly, the lift stopped moving, but the doors didn't open.

"The elevator seems stuck," Haven commented.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Dick yelled.

"Since we're going nowhere anytime soon, let's talk," Haven suggested.

* * *

"Has anyone seen Haven recently?" Fia asked, concerned.

"Who cares?" Karma replied. He was met with a severe look from Fia. "No, I haven't seen her since this morning," he answered.

"Me neither," Nagisa shook his head. Suddenly, the tv screen turned on.

"If you are worrying about Haven, fret not," Wally said. "She is doing something of utmost importance right now and does not wish to be disturbed under any circumstances. If she does not return within 12 hours or if she is in imminent danger, I will then disclose her location. If you have any questions, I will try to answer them to the best of my ability." He began meandering around the screen.

Fia frowned. "12 hours? Well, as long as this is something she feels she really has to do and as long as she's alright, I guess it's okay…"

Wally's mod smiled. "I assure you that Haven believes that this is completely necessary. We thank you for your understanding and support. If you have any questions, do feel free to call and I will answer."

Nagisa and Fia exchanged worried expressions but they smiled reassuringly at the other and silently wished for Haven to come back in one piece.

* * *

"FUCK YOU!" Dick yelled at the girl. She just stood there quietly.

"HAVEN'T YOU CAUSED ENOUGH HAVOC IN MY LIFE ALREADY!"

"When you're ready to talk, I'll be here to listen," Haven said evenly as she sat down in a corner of the elevator. "Remember, no lies."

"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO EXIST?"

* * *

Fia circumambulated the couches in her nervousness. When she tasted the distinct tang of iron on her tongue, she realized that she had been chewing on her lip to the point that it was bleeding. Fia sighed. Where was Haven? It had been hours already and there wasn't a single word from her.

Karma sighed from his spot on the couch. "That's really distracting, you know. I'm trying to watch the Big Chief give a speech."

"S-sorry. I can't help it." Fia timidly took the spot on the couch next to Karma and began chewing the inside of her cheek. Her eyes flitted from the redhead to the tv screen. "The presidential debate…?" she asked.

"Yeah. Apparently, that idiot over there thinks it's okay to just recklessly invest in absolutely nothing," Karma said. He waved his hand dismissively. "If you ask me, the big guy would probably be happier if he just rolled up a wad of cash and stuck it up his ass."

Fia smiled slightly. "You really are serious about this stuff, aren't you?"

"Well, a lot of work needs to be put in to become an evil government official, right?" he smiled.

"What happened to being a bureaucrat?"

He laughed. "Same difference, right?"

Giggling at his joke, she nodded. "You're going to wreak havoc either way. Remind me not to live in whatever country you decide to govern."

"Oh, c'mon, Tsu-chan. I'd give you a special position as the national jester!"

"Ha-ha. You're so funny, maybe you should be the jester." Fia stuck her tongue out. "It's not like you're not already halfway there with your pranking habit."

"It's not a habit, it's a passion," Karma smirked. "Or did I not make that clear enough?" He chuckled when he saw her pouting 'of course you did' face. He smiled. "Glad to see that you're not biting your lip off anymore," Karma remarked casually.

Fia's cheeks turned red and she huffed, turning back towards the screen. "Karma…" Fia murmured after some time. "She's going to be okay, isn't she…?"

Karma sighed. "She can handle herself, and I mean that. So quit worrying already."

Fia nodded slowly before speaking up once again. "Karma? How do you do that…?"

"Do what?"

"M-move people with your w-words? Right now… You're distracting me so I won't worry, right? You're teasing me, but you're also - "

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said. Karma looked over at Fia, who was staring intently at him. He rubbed the back of his head. Damn, the girl was perceptive when she wanted to be. "You've got a voice. Use it, otherwise what's the point in having one?" He paused. "You like chemistry, right? Because it gives you a direct answer? But what you care about most is people. You're going to need to use that grating voice of yours if you want to be with the people you care about. Use your voice so you won't get pushed around, so you can nag them into staying out of trouble, so you can tell them about all your gushy little feelings. Use it or lose it, Fia."

"K-Karma…?" Fia recognized that he was harsh, but not wrong...

"You wanted an answer, so you got one." The people on the television began clapping. Karma jumped out of his seat and angrily waved the remote in front of the tv. "Aw, shit! Don't cheer for that idiot! Elect that one and he's going to bring this country to its knees! I swear, that Trump is stupider than Terasaka ever was!"

"That's not very nice," Nagisa said as he returned home from running errands. Nagisa shut the door behind him and took off his shoes before wandering into the living room. He peered at the screen and sweat-dropped. "Is that a squirrel on his head?"

Fia sighed. "No, that's his hair. Or, at least, that's what we hope it is."

"Any word from Haven?" Nagisa asked.

Fia shook her head. "No, Angel hasn't contacted me and Wally has been quiet so I'm guessing we have awhile before she gets back…" she trailed off.

Nagisa nodded in understanding. "Alright, well, I hope she comes back soon. Mr. Karasuma and Ms. Jelavic want to talk to you two about starting a training regimen.

The girl paled. "Assassins almighty, have mercy," Fia whimpered.

* * *

The elevator was quiet. Dick had stopped yelling, but the air was tense. Haven and Dick just sat in opposite corners of the elevator waiting for someone to break the silence. It had been about three hours and neither of them had even made an attempt to speak to the other.

Dick finally broke the silence.

"When I was about ten, Dad threw out a picture he had received from your mother. That was when I found out who you were. My mom did too. After that, they started fighting a lot. I hated seeing them like that and I didn't know what to do, so when I saw you at school, I took all of my frustration and anger out on you. I guess I have been ever since…"

"I understood why you hated me, but you didn't have to take it out on me," Haven replied.

"You're wrong. I didn't completely hate you," Dick glanced at her and sighed, "Why… Why were you born a girl? If you had been a boy, I could have hated you properly."

"What do you mean?" Haven asked.

"It's nothing…" he sighed.

"Don't be resistant," Haven said. "We're already talking."

Dick sighed as he relented. "As a kid, I had always wanted a little sister. I thought that if I had one, I'd be around to protect her and stuff," he explained slowly. "So as much as I wanted to despise you, your existence was almost a wish come true…"

"How did you find out I was a girl? I wore the boy's uniform at school so you wouldn't know. My mother told me Father thought it would prevent you from knowing who I was," Haven explained.

"The picture I found was of you before you started school. You know, when you still dressed like a girl," Dick gave a small smile. "You were really cute back then. Either way, the hair's a bit of a giveaway," he said, pointing at her usually-white bob. "It's the same color as dad's."

Silence clung to the air once more.

* * *

Nagisa and Fia laid next to each other on the floor of the living room. Karma was off doing his homework and the other two really didn't have much to do, so they were reading Shakespeare's "The Tempest," both to pass the time and help Fia practice for Jelavic's class.

"No, precious creature, I had rather crack my sinews, break my back, than you should such dishonor undergo while I sit lazy by," Nagisa read.

"I'm surprised by how fluidly you can read this," Fia admitted.

"My favorite subject was English," he smiled.

"I know, I know. It's just, I'm not making the most eloquent Miranda, am I?" Fia laughed. "It would become me as well as it does you; a-and I should do it with much more… ease; for my good will is to it, and y-yours is against it." Pouting, Fia dropped her script onto her face.

Karma walked into the room and laughed. "I could hear the sounds of your audience dying of boredom from my bedroom. Aren't Ferdinand and Miranda supposed to end up as lovers?" He snatched the book out of Nagisa's hands and skimmed through the pages. "Nagisa, you're acting is fine, but you're not really putting your heart into it. Fia… Can you at least try to act like you're interested in him?"

Her face reddened. "Huh?!"

"As Miranda."

"O-oh…"

Nagisa sighed. "Karma didn't you have your own work to do?"

"Finished, and besides - You know how much I love to help out my friends," his voice rang out with a sadistic sense of sarcasm. "I'm re-assigning the roles. Let's start from the top!"

"A-Alack, what t-trouble was I then t-to you!," Fia choked out.

"The only one who's trouble here is Karma," Nagisa muttered. "I mean, O, a cherubin! Thou wast that did preserve me! Thou didst smile, infusèd with a fortitude from Haven - I m-mean, HEAVEN." Nagisa coughed loudly with a bright blush.

Fia looked up at him. "Sorry, did you say something? I was kind of spacing out…" Fia's worry and fatigue were finally showing through. "Should we go through the lines again?"

Karma laughed loudly. "Nah, let's skip ahead a little bit. Nagisa, take a break, will you? We can't have Prospero passing out on us. C'mon, Miranda."

Fia sighed. "Yes, slave-driver…" She picked up her script and returned to the scene she and Nagisa had been originally reading.

"Fia, try to make me feel something, okay?"

"Can it be a slug to the face?"

"You can try, but you punch like a pansy."

She pouted. "Fine!"

Karma laughed, clearly enjoying watching her squirm in discomfort. "Communication is key here. As an actress, your job is to guide the other person through the conversation, make them feel compelled to reciprocate."

"Since when are you into acting, Karma?" Nagisa asked skeptically.

"I'm not," the redhead said with a smirk, "but Ms. Bitch sure does rant a lot about it."

Shaking her head, Fia looked down at her page. Even if Karma's advice was more or less something he wasn't even taking seriously, it really struck her as being important. Taking a deep breath, Fia began to read softly. "I would not wish any companion in the world but you; nor can imagination form a shape, besides yourself, to like of…" Karma and Nagisa stared at the blushing girl. Fia clasped her hands together over her heart and smiled regretfully. "But I prattle something too wildly, and my father's precepts I therein do forget."

Karma smiled and read the next passage, curious to see where the girl would take it. He ran a few scenarios through his head, trying to figure out which buttons he could press to get the girl completely flustered once again.

"Do you love me?"

He snapped back to reality. "What did you say?"

Fia, Miranda rather, looked up into his eyes. "Do you love me, Ferdinand?"

Karma grinned and threw his arm around the girl's shoulders. In an exaggerated manner, Karma fell to his knees, bringing her with him. "O heaven, O earth, bear witness to this sound. And crown what I profess with kind event if I speak true! If hollowly, invert what best is boded me to mischief! I, beyond all limit of what else i' th' world, do love, prize, honor you!"

The girl immediately got flustered by his outrageous behavior. She knew that he was probably going for that reaction, judging by the stupid smile on his face, but she couldn't help it when he was so close. "I-I am a fool, to w-weep at what I-I am glad of… GET OFF OF ME!"

The redhead laughed. "But, Tsu-chan! We were doing so well, and we were on our way to our own happy ending!"

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "What kind of happy ending comes from jumping into the arms of a prince like you?"

"The fun kind, Nagisa!"

* * *

"It's too bad we didn't get closer," Dick sighed, "I had always hoped to show off my hockey skills to my younger siblings… if I had any."

"I remember staying at the ice rink late to watch your team practice," Haven reminisced, "You were good."

"You would watch?"

Haven nodded, "Surprisingly, you never got many penalties. I always thought you would be one to break the rules."

"Give me more credit than that! I don't like cheating," Dick protested.

* * *

Once Fia had succeeded in chasing Karma away, she shot Nagisa an apologetic smile. He shook his head and smiled back, showing that he understood that Karma would be Karma. She shuffled over to sit on the couch next to him and sighed.

"Prospero, Father, remind me why I keep humoring that idiot?" Fia asked.

"Dearest Miranda, it is because although the man doth scream trouble itself, he isn't a bad guy."

The two laughed and settled into a comfortable silence.

"Where do you think she is?" Fia asked Nagisa with a concerned expression.

"I'm really not sure," Nagisa replied. He honestly had a few ideas in mind, but none that he could confirm or wanted to share without Haven's consent. "You two are really close, huh?"

Fia blushed slightly and she giggled quietly to herself. "I guess so. We're both usually quiet, so we don't talk about ourselves a lot, but I still feel really close to her. She's my best friend, my extended family," she explained. "I actually don't really talk to anyone besides her and Benny."

"I guess things got a lot louder when we moved in," Nagisa chuckled.

Fia nodded but she smiled. "It's been fun for the most part. Though, I have to admit, I never thought I'd end up living with two assassins."

"I didn't think I would ever be able to sit down and have a casual conversation with a member of the mafia," Nagisa laughed.

"It's not like I ever went through the rites! We can go out for coffee and talk after I'm initiated."

"I have to wait until then?" Nagisa feigned shock.

" _Si_! And not a moment earlier, _capiche?_ " Fia held her sides as she laughed. "I cannot believe I just said that!"

Nagisa smiled. "Fia, I know we're housemates and teammates now, but please think of me as one of your friends first." She nodded, smiling appreciatively. "Speaking of friends, would you know who Earnest is?"

Pausing to ponder for a few moments, Fia hummed and shook her head. "No, don't think so. I know Haven's mentioned his name a few times but she's never talked about him and I hadn't really thought to ask. Why do you ask?" she questioned curiously.

Nagisa smiled wryly. "No real reason… Didn't you say you wanted to get started on dinner soon?" he replied coyly, easily changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah! Look forward to a hearty bowl of borscht!" Fia chimed as she got to her feet and made her way into the kitchen.

The bluenette watched her bounce off for a few moments before sighing. So much for that plan.

* * *

"It's not too late to mend our relationship. I don't think I'd mind having an older brother like you looking out for me," Haven gave him a small smile.

"And I don't think I'd mind watching over a little sister like you," he gave her a similar smile.

"Well, then it's settled. We'll treat each other like siblings?" Haven put her hand out.

"It's a deal," Dick accepted the handshake. "But I expect you to call me Big Brother Richie," he smiled mischievously.

"As if," Haven gave him a playful shove. He shoved her back, causing her to lightly hit her head against the side of the elevator.

"You're lighter than you look, Haven," Dick said apologetically. Haven just waved it off with a small smile.

* * *

Karma leaned over Fia to see what was in the pot. "Freaky. What's that? It looks like you're boiling blood."

Fia's cheeks flushed. "It's tomato soup! Ms. Jelavic might have inspired me a little to try to make something Russian." She waved the ladle in his face. "If you're not going to help out, then the least you can do is give me some space!'

"Signs of possible danger have been detected! Haven is located in an apartment complex at the intersection of 27th and Main Street in the third elevator," Wally reported.

Karma and Fia looked at each other. Fia immediately tossed the ladle and began running out the door. "ANGEL, I'M COMING FOR YOU!" Karma caught the ladle easily.

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "Should we go after her? She doesn't have a car, and I don't even think she's wearing shoes or a jacket. Karma, isn't it only in the 40s or 50s?"

Karma nodded. "Probably, but you can handle it, right, Nagisa?"

"Karma."

"Alright, I'll help out too." Karma turned off the stove. "We might want to hurry," he sighed, "Fia is complete airhead when she panics."

The boys rushed out of the apartment and found the girl panting on the corner of a street intersection. She was yelling very angrily at a car that had almost run her over - although it was her who had ran into the street without a second thought. The car seemed to be an active arguer too as its driver incessantly honked its horn in response to every one of Fia's words. Karma picked the screaming girl off her feet and began pulling her down the street in the opposite direction. Nagisa followed closely behind, stopping only to bow at the angry car driver first.

"What about Haven?" she protested.

"You were running in the wrong direction," he responded flatly.

"Oh."

Nagisa slipped something into Fia's hands. "There are your shoes," he laughed warily.

"Oh…"

* * *

The elevator began to descend. A few moments later, the doors opened. The two exited the elevator and walked into the lobby.

"Haven," Dick began, "I know you don't like being mistaken for a guy, but the pastel pink hair isn't helping."

"That was a prank," Haven blushed, " You should have seen it a few days ago. It was neon."

Dick patted Haven's head and smirked, "It was that redhead, wasn't it?" Haven just blushed more.

"How did you know?"

"He seemed like a trouble maker. Watch out for those types," Dick smirked.

"Who ya callin' a troublemaker?" Karma asked, returning Dick's smirk. Dick cringed as the redhead sauntered up to him. He got into Dick's face and grinned sadistically. "You know, pal, you're the who's going to be in trouble - "

"AAANNNNGGEEELLLL!" Fia burst in through the lobby doors and threw herself around her best friend and roommate. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she rubbed her them against Haven's. For a brief moment, Fia truly did resemble her father. After a few more moments, however, she was definitely taking after her mother. Fia began shaking Haven by the shoulders in an angry fluster. "WHY DID YOU LEAVE LIKE THAT?!" Fia froze and began hugging her friend again, but quietly this time. "You're not hurt, are you?" fear crept in her voice.

"You might be squishing me, Tsu-chan."

"O-oh, sorry." Fia released Haven quickly.

Nagisa ran in and surveyed the scene. He spotted Dick and glared coldly. "I swear, if you hurt Haven in any way - "

Both of the boys were forcing Dick into a corner.

"Guys, STOP!" Haven yelled. She waited for them to turn around. Once she had their full attention, she spoke again. "I want to introduce you to my half-brother, Richard Brown," Haven motioned to Dick.

"Wait, so that's not Dick?"

"It is, that's just his nickname… kind of." Haven explained.

"In the 12th and 13th centuries, Rick was very popular name for Richard. Rhyming nicknames, however, were exceedingly popular as well and Dick became a canonized nickname for Richard." Wally explained from his position inside Haven's phone, which was conveniently sticking out of one of her pockets.

"What about you getting hurt?" Fia asked with concern. "Wally said you were injured… That's why I ran here!"

"What? I'm perfectly fine! Wally?" Haven asked.

"I said possible danger. I was unsure of how hard one must hit one's head to cause damage," Wally protested.

"Tapping it against the wall was no reason to call them here! Even if I had been in there for eight hours."

Karma locked his hands behind his head, obviously bored. "Well then, I'm out."

"Karma?" Fia asked.

He shrugged. "I have no more reason to be here. It's obvious that Haven's fine." He began to leave but then paused to smile. "Don't worry about dinner, I'll take care of it." With that, he was gone.

Fia watched him go and sighed before turning back to Haven and Richard. "So… Half-siblings?" she asked questioningly.

"We share a father," Richard shrugged.

Nagisa eyed Haven and Richard. "So, we don't have to worry about any more tension?" he asked carefully.

"Hopefully, not. We're… trying to be good siblings to each other."

Fia smiled softly. "Di - Richard, with that mindset, you'll be a great big brother!" she said happily.

His eyes widened and his cheeks darkened. "I, er, um, Haven, I gotta go. See you around, m-maybe?" Richard rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed by the entirely new situation.

Haven waved as he left the lobby. "We'll hammer out the wrinkles later," she called.

* * *

Fia: (on the phone) Yes, I know. I'm glad you liked the pictures… Yes, _Mami_ , Nagisa and Haven had to switch outfits… No, they fit fine but… (sighs) No, I don't know if I'll be home for Thanksgiving… Oh, _Ciao_! Yes, yes. I'm doing well, _Papino._ I have a few scrapes on my feet, but nothing too bad… Oh! I got to meet some of Haven's family today -

Karma: Hey, Fia. Dinner's ready. What'cha up to?

Fia: (covers phone) Sorry, I can't do the commentary today, I - (yelling from the phone. Brings it back to her ear) Yes, I'm still here.

Karma: Hey, Fia. (especially loudly) YOU SEEN THE VODKA?!

Fia: (deadpans) N-no, I told you I don't plan on drinking until I turn 21! … I know it's legal in Italy!

Karma: … I knew you were a chemist, but METH?!

Fia: (glares) Ha! Try something more believable, Karma!

Karma: Woah-ho! I know you asked me if I loved you, but don't you think doing THAT is going a little too far too fast?

Fia: (turns red) N-no! H-Hey! … I'm not - he's not- we aren't - GIO, I ALREADY TOLD YOU IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! (sighs as she leaves entirely to finish her call - but not before giving Karma her middle finger) It's not shameful that I've never had - YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!

Karma: (laughing)

Nagisa: (exhales) I'm just glad everyone is safe again.

Haven: I was never in trouble to begin with. Wally, please import data about the human body and how hardy it is.

Karma: I dunno. People are pretty easy to break -

Wally: Yes, Haven. Also, the elevator jamming program has been erased.

Haven: Wally! I said not to speak about that!

Nagisa: So that's what happened. (smiles) Well, at the very least, we're all together again. Narrator?

Narrator: Everyone took that extremely well… Next time, who wants a snow day? I do!


	13. Chapter 13: Snow Time

"Do we really have to walk back to the apartment in this?" Haven asked as she looked outside. The snow was coming down in big flakes at high speed. She shivered at the sight.

Fia pouted. "If we don't go now, we're going to have to go through it later! It's supposed to get worse after an hour."

"Can we just sleep in the student center?" Haven asked.

Karma and Nagisa simultaneously sighed.

"No offense, but I don't want to be stuck here any longer than I have to be. This place is boring as hell and the people here never have anything interesting to say," Karma complained.

Nagisa frowned. "I think Haven's right and that we shouldn't risk going out right now, but all of my textbooks are back in my room."

Fia looked between the three. "The apartment is really just down the street…"

"But it's cold." Haven complained. "Wally, is it a good idea to go out in this weather?"

"The conditions are not ideal, however the earlier the departure, the better," Wally replied.

Fia nodded determinedly. "Then we're going to brave the cold! Everyone grab your jackets and hold hands! Staying together is key in a blizzard when visibility is close to none - " The girl looked as if she were ready for an all-out war. No one could blame her, she was from a place that was warm almost the whole year round. Fia took Karma and Nagisa's hands and began walking outside, Haven trailing begrudgingly behind them.

About half-way home, Fia noticed the disappearance of one of their group.

"Angel," she called. "Angel! How are we supposed to find her in this weather? She'll blend right in with the snow!" Fia panicked.

Nagisa looked around but he couldn't see anything past the sheets of snow falling from the sky. "I don't see her anywhere!" he worriedly shouted over the wind.

"She'll find her way home," Karma muttered and tried to continue walking, but Fia held him back.

"We do not go on without her!" Fia protested, "What if she gets hypothermia? DIDN'T I TELL EVERYONE TO HOLD HANDS?!"

"It's her own fault for not holding on to us," Karma protested. "Besides, she's got Wally. She'll be fine!"

Nagisa frowned. "I hate to say it, but we're not likely to be able to find her on our own in this weather - we should head to the apartment and wait for her. If she doesn't get back soon enough and we can't reach her by cell, we can call campus safety!" he assured her.

Fia tried to frown but her lips were more or less turning into ice cubes. She nodded hesitantly and began leading the troupe back to their apartment.

Once they returned to the warmth of the building, Fia flipped out her phone and dialed Haven's number on her cellphone.

"Angel, where are you?" she cried as soon as the line connected.

"Hello, Fia. This is Wally. Haven in currently asleep in the computer labs between the student center and the apartment," Wally replied.

The girl face-palmed. "Why am I not surprised? At least she's safe and warm, right?"

"Safe is a relative term, however she is most certainly warm," Wally replied.

Fia laughed dryly. "Well… Please keep looking out for her Wally. I'll see you both when you get home." Fia smiled.

"Of course, I do not wish anything to harm Haven," Wally replied.

* * *

The next morning, the snow had stopped and the sky was blue. Haven walked into the apartment as quietly as she could.

Fia was tapping her foot impatiently and standing with her arms crossed over her chest. "Do you know what time it is, young lady?"

"7:45 am," Haven replied.

Fia sighed. If that had come from any of her siblings, it would have been sass. But this was Haven, so Fia waved it off dismissively. "There's cider waiting for you on the table - please try to warm up."

Haven nodded and darted to the kitchen before walking to her room with a pink mug in hand.

Fifteen minutes later, the boys had awoken and were sitting at the kitchen table.

"Campus is closed due to yesterday's blizzard. What should we do?" Nagisa asked.

"We enjoy the snow!" Fia said, excitement sparkling in her eyes. "I want to enjoy a twin-less winter while I still can! No ice-balls, no ice-bras! Angel, let's go!" she called.

"I'd rather say here and work," Haven called from her room.

"Come on, Angel, let's go!" Fia tried again.

"She doesn't want to come. Don't make her," Karma said as he waited by the front door.

"We'll go ice skating," Fia said coyly. Suddenly, there was a whirl of action and Haven was standing by the front door, a pair of white skates slung over her shoulder.

"I'm ready to go when you are!" Haven smiled. She was in a black pea coat and wore a pink scarf and a matching beret.

After changing into their respective winter gear, the group went to a nearby outdoor rink.

Luckily for them, the outdoor rink wasn't busy at all and they practically had the rink to themselves.

"I take it you ice skate a lot?" Nagisa asked Haven as he tied the laces of his rental skates.

"Yeah," Haven replied, "Have you ever been skating before?"

Nagisa shook his head. "But there's a first time for everything!" he said optimistically. Nagisa followed Haven out onto the ice. He was a little shaky at first, but with a little practice and the help of the wall, he finally got the hang of it and was gliding by his fifth round around the rink. He waved to Karma. "Aren't you coming out?"

He shrugged, seemingly indifferent to being on or off the ice. He turned to look at Fia. "What about you?"

Fia nodded as she laced up her boots. She waddled her way to the rink and began skating, but fell after only a few seconds on the ice.

Haven raced over gracefully and sprayed her with a wave of ice. "How long have you been trying to learn to skate?" she asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Two years," Fia replied, slightly red in the face.

"And how much have you improved?"

"A bit!" Fia protested at a gliding away Haven. "Show off," Fia mumbled.

Karma skated over to where the Italian was sprawled out on the ice. He squatted to get closer to being at eye-level with her. "You okay down there?" he asked, grinning.

"F-fine!" she spat. Fia slowly pushed herself onto her feet and struggled to stand straight. As she fell forward again, Karma caught her with a laugh. She shot him a dirty look. "Don't look at me like that!"

"You have the grace of dying chicken."

Her face flushed. "I can rollerblade j-just fine. I don't know why I can't ice skate at all," she whined defeatedly.

Karma smiled and released the girl. She yelped as she began falling again and clung to him to literally save her own ass. She glared up at him in a fluster. "KARMA!"

Nagisa skated past them and sweat-dropped. He soon caught up to Haven and was glad to see that she seemed to have the traces of a joyous smile on her face. He admired her confidence as she set up for a lutz loop jump combo. "Haven!" he called. "You figure skate?"

"Yeah. I started when I was in elementary school," she shrugged after she landed her jump.

Nagisa smiled. "I'm impressed. The only thing I've stuck with for that long is… Well, assassination."

Karma shook his head as Fia landed on her face once again. He heard a whimper and came face to face with a red-nosed, teary-eyed girl. "Who's the Rudolf now?" he laughed.

She sniffed and rubbed her nose gently with the back of her fluffy white mittens. Sneezing violently, Fia slid back on the ice a couple of inches. "Ow…" she moaned. Fia took Karma's outstretched hand and forced herself onto her feet. "Again!" Fia stomped her foot in determination, but the instinctive action backfired on her because she began slipping again. She flailed her arms and leaned forwards and backwards until she regained her balance. "Phew…" Fia smiled in relief.

"You look awfully content for a girl who can't stand for more than five minutes without falling."

"Sh-shut up!" Fia yelled through chattering teeth. "I'm going to get it! I swear!"

"We've been out here for almost two hours," Karma informed her. Fia looked as if she'd just gotten an arrow through her heart. He laughed and pinched the girl's nose, much to her discomfort and annoyance.

"Shtahp it!" she protested in a nasally voice.

"C'mon, I'll show you how to do it."

"You say that, but you're just going to make me fall again, aren't you?"

"I can't make you skate like that superstar show-off over there, but I can probably help you get the basics down. I promise not to trip you - but I'm not saying I'll catch you if you fall either~."

She smiled cheerfully. "I'll take what I can get. Now come on, before my feet fall off!" Fia grabbed Karma's hand and began pulling him on the ice using the side rails for balance.

* * *

Nagisa sighed. "Fia, you're going to catch a cold." He watched the girl wrap her scarf around a snowman's neck.

"Will not!" she protested childishly as she rubbed her runny red nose. As if to show her annoyance, Fia roughly put the black button eyes in place.

Fingers cupping his chin in thought, Karma tilted his head slightly. "Nagisa, is it me or does this snowman look like Koro-sensei without the tentacles?"

Nagisa hummed. "Maybe the face does, but Koro-sensei just isn't the same without his tentacles."

Haven handed Fia her scarf, but Fia refused on the principle that she had to make sure everyone else was warm first.

"Fia, I'm overheating," Haven said flatly.

"You're a better liar than me but I still don't believe you." The girl turned her nose upwards and away. "Hmph."

"I got this," Karma smirked. He had somehow turned his scarf into a noose and was hanging it over the unaware girl's head.

"KARMA!" Nagisa face-palmed.

"AKABANE!" Haven yelled. "Fia, just take my scarf! I can turn up my collar."

Fia scowled. "I don't want you getting sick! I haven't gotten sick in years. There are perks to having snot-nosed siblings," she pouted.

"Fia, I'm an ice skater! Stop being stubborn!" Haven pointed out.

"Well… I might put it on… if… if you make a snow Angel," Fia grinned, satisfied with herself.

Haven gave Fia the scarf and plopped herself in the snow, moving her arms and legs in order to form a snow angel, a very unamused expression on her face.

Fia laughed as she wrapped the pink scarf around her neck under her green parka. "I was being punny," she giggled.

Haven shot her a glare from her horizontal position. Nagisa leaned over to help Haven up but he received a huge ball of snow to the face. He stood stunned for a moment before turning to face the culprit with an annoyed expression. The culprit whistled innocently and pointed to the girl crouched by the snowman by his feet.

"AKABANE!" Haven yelled, unamused.

"Snowball fight?" he proposed with a devilish grin.

"EEP!" Fia dove behind her snowman. She was terrified that he would be like her little siblings - cunning, relentless, and heartless.

"I'm going inside," Haven called as she got up and walked towards the apartment. She received a snowball to the back before she disappeared.

Nagisa and Karma both jumped back and began making snowballs. Fia squeaked as she frantically tried to build a fort around her and Koro-snowman. Karma paused when he saw her.

"You know, Fia. Your fort looks like it's just had its back broken. Leaning Tower of Pisa much?" he laughed.

She glared at him. "I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT IT IS STRUCTURALLY SOUND ENOUGH THAT IT ISN'T LIKELY TO FALL FOR - " Fia received a snowball to the face from a cackling redhead. "THAT'S IT! IT'S ON!"

"It's been on," Karma chimed as he threw another snowball. Nagisa took this as his opportunity to send a quick volley towards his roommate with a happy grin. An all out assassination snowball fight broke out between Karma and Nagisa, going after each other with powdery snow grenades and icicle daggers. Out of concern for her safety, Fia teamed up with Nagisa - neither really trusted Karma to not backstab them both - she was in charge of the projectiles while he would focus on the closer range attacks.

Karma smiled darkly from under the fur-lined hood of his jacket. "Is that the best you got?"

Nagisa returned Karma's smile with a happy one of his own. He approached Karma slowly but calmly.

"You really think I'll fall for that, Nagisa?" Karma smirked. "I've known you too long." In truth, Karma was never really sure what Nagisa would try to pull when he acted like this, but better to let the bluenette think he was unphased.

Nagisa shook his head. "Of course you're expecting an attack from me," he said with a light chuckle, "but what about her?"

Karma turned around to see that Fia was standing directly behind him with snow cupped loosely in her hands. As soon as he'd turned, she blew the icy powder into his face. Blinded, he stumbled before being grabbed by both Nagisa and Fia.

The door to the apartment was kicked open and an annoyed redhead stormed in. He looked like Santa Claus with both the snow beard and snow-filled barrel belly that stuffed his jacket. Nagisa and Fia stumbled in together, both laughing. Karma growled and shook all of the snow from his body, destroying his beard and ripping his jacket free.

"BE QUIET, AKABANE!" Haven called from the living room.

Fia discarded her boots and ran back with a bunch of towels and blankets. She passed one of each to Nagisa and then took to towel-drying Karma's hair.

"What are you doing?" he growled.

"Making sure you actually dry off," she responded flatly. "Knowing you, you were planning to just go and sprawl out on the couch." His lack of a reply told her she was right.

"I can still do this myself," he grumbled as Fia began brushing off his snow-covered shirt with the towel. He grabbed it from her and turned to go back to his room and change.

"Did I do something wrong?" Fia asked Nagisa with a confused smile. The bluenette shook his head and the two headed into the kitchen to make apple cider and hot chocolate for everyone.

Karma came back out in a black turtleneck sweater. Fia immediately rushed up to him and pushed a blanket at him. He tried to shove it back but the girl persistently pushed the fleece back at him until he relented and draped it over his shoulders.

"Haven was right, you're incredibly stubborn," Karma sighed.

She laughed. "You did say I have the thickest skull here." Fia smiled as she put her hands on Karma's cheeks.

His eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

"Hm… You're still really cold…" Fia rubbed his cheeks lightly with her thumbs in an attempt to bring some color back into his face. "Ah well." She turned and handed him a cup of hot chocolate. "That should help~."

He sipped at the rich drink. "Yeah, thanks," Karma smiled slightly.

As the three entered the livingroom, Haven called to them. "Is now a good time to call Karasuma?" she asked. Haven had hooked her computer up to the television, currently, Wally was meandering around on it. Nagisa and Fia nodded. "Wally, call Karasuma," Haven ordered from her spot on the couch, not waiting for Karma's reply.

"Yes, Haven. Dialing Karasuma," Wally replied. Momentarily, the man picked up and his face appeared on the big screen.

"Hello, Haven."

"Good afternoon Mr. Karasuma. I'm starting to get bored over here. I haven't hacked for about a month now!"

He sighed. "We'll see what you say after your training starts. Is Fia with you?"

"Yes," Haven replied as Fia sat on the couch next to her.

Fia shyly placed a cup of apple cider in front of Haven before turning to the screen. "H-Hello, Mr. Karasuma." Nagisa and Karma sat down on the couch opposite the girls. She laughed nervously. "I'd offer you something to drink, Mr. Karasuma, b-but I don't think teleportation devices exist yet… Unless your government is working on something like that - I won't tell," she joked.

Haven looked at her with an amused face, 'Well… last year, I hacked into the Japanese government…"

"Haven," Karasuma had a firm, warning tone.

"It was last year! I wasn't under contract yet!" Haven protested.

"But you're under contract now, so I would appreciate if you didn't just go off disclosing our highly sensitive information. In any case, I would like to address what you'll be doing in the upcoming weeks. As you'll be aiding Nagisa and Karma on their missions, we want to make sure you're both mentally and physically prepared for what you might encounter."

Nagisa looked at Karasuma with a concerned expression. "What kind of work will they have to do?"

Karma gave the girls a look. "No offense, but I don't think those two are the most inconspicuous, and they don't exactly strike me as the assassin types."

"Nor does Nagisa," Haven pointed out with irritation.

Karasuma nodded. "I understand your concerns. Irina and I believe that Haven will do best working tech support whereas Fia should be working on reconnaissance. In any case, they both need preliminary training. I'm suggesting that they stick to a physical training regimen schedule of four times a week with daily exercises. Is that reasonable?"

"That may be just a bit too much…" Haven looked at Fia.

The girl paled and nodded slowly. "S-sure… I guess I can… do that..."

"This was meant to be a lighter load, considering that you are both still full-time students," Karasuma sighed. "Can I trust to see you this Saturday at 7 hundred sharp? Nagisa and Karma should know where the location is and escort you both there. Until then, Haven, I'll send you an assignment as soon as I sign off," With that, Karasuma disconnected the line. Wally appeared, doing the chicken dance.

"WALLY!" Haven face palmed.

"Sorry, Haven," Wally stopped, a slight blush crossed the mod's cheeks.

"Open the most recent file from Karasuma," Haven sighed.

"Of course!" Wally said as a window opened on the screen. Haven unplugged the computer and walked to her room, typing furiously.

Fia sweatdropped. "Is it me or did he make that sound way scarier than it had to be?"

* * *

Fia sat at the kitchen table with a slightly annoyed face. She had called an apartment meeting half an hour ago but no one had showed up yet due to a minor argument that had broken out between Haven and Karma. Sighing, she rested her forehead on the table. Haven walked into the room and sat at the table. Slowly the other two boys filed into the kitchen as well, one looking more cross than the other.

"H-hi, everyone," Fia waved at her housemates. "I wanted to talk to you guys about Thanksgiving Break. I'm going home to celebrate with my family next week. First, I wanted to know if you needed me to cook and freeze food ahead of time. Do you trust Karma to cook for you? Are you going to order in for all of break? It would be helpful to know." She sweat-dropped as she talked.

"You're going away?" Haven stared at her friend.

Fia nodded slowly. "Yeah, I couldn't get away this year. My older sister's birthday is kind of… around now… and so my mom is in a really pissy mood. I'll just cook some food. You guys can survive without me here for 5 days, right?" she asked hopefully

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Karma locked his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair.

Nagisa looked at Fia curiously. "You've mentioned an older brother and sister, but they didn't visit on Parents' Weekend," he observed aloud.

She deadpanned, looking like she had just been hit by a truck. "U-um… My brother is… and my sister left so… I just…"

Nagisa patted her back reassuringly. "We don't have to talk about it, I'm sorry for asking," he smiled regretfully.

"N-No, don't worry about it." Fia waved it off. "So now that that has been settled. I have another matter of business I'd like to discuss with you guys~" she hummed cheerfully. "Because it's going to be Thanksgiving - and I don't trust you not to kill each other - I want you each to tell each other one thing you admire or appreciate about them. EVERYONE."

"Not happening," Haven replied flatly.

Fia, ignoring Haven, clapped her hands together. "I'll start! Haven, I appreciate that you put up with all of my weirdest quirks and that you forgave me after that huge chem spill last year~. Nagisa, I wanted to say thank you for the books and say I appreciate that you're always a great listener. Karma - ..."

"What?"

"Karma, I appreciate that you - that - that …" The boys both sweatdropped. Fia's cheeks darkened in response. "I-I appreciate that you always help me out… Even when you're the one who got me into trouble in the first place…" She coughed. "Nagisa?"

Nagisa thought for a few moments. "Fia, I admire that you're always looking out for us, even if it is a little overbearing at times. Karma, I admire how quick you are on your feet. I have since we met. Haven - " he blushed slightly " - I like how you're straightforward and easy to get along with. I really like hanging out and talking with you."

Karma laughed. "Nagisa, I admire how girly you are. Fia, you're just so easy to tease. I gotta love that. Haven, I appreciate that you're just a wall that I can ignore. And you're as flat as one too so I don't even have to look at you if I don't want to." He smiled cheerfully. He mentally counted down the seconds it would take for Fia to explode at him. 3 - 2 - 1? Karma looked to the Italian.

Fia's bottom lip was trembling and she wouldn't make eye contact with him. Her cheeks swelled red and her eyes watered. "J-jerk…"

"Wait, are you actually crying?!"

She crossed her arms and childishly turned away from him. "No!"

"I can see you, you know."

She pulled her hood over her head. "No, you can't!"

"You're not going to win this as an ostrich."

She shot him a hurt look and she stuck her tongue out at him. "Bleh! Meanie!"

"You're acting like you're 5…"

Nagisa sighed. "You aren't being much better."

Karma grumbled. "Fine, fine. Nagisa, you're a pretty bad-ass assassin. It was really cool the way you took Takaoka down. I know I never told you that. Haven, you're still a wall, but it's kinda neat the way you can hack into international governments and companies. Of course, if it were me, I'd be using that information to get whatever I want, but to each their own," he shrugged. Karma pulled Fia's hood off of her head, much to her annoyance. He held the flailing, protesting girl back with his hand and laughed as she started brooding instead. He ruffled her hair. "You're not so bad to be around."

"For your entertainment?" she pouted. "Thaaaaankks. Means a whole lot."

"You're a good cook, caring for your friends and family, and not hard to talk to, even if you are yelling at me most of the time. Thanks for putting up with me." He patted her head.

She blushed and pushed his hand away. "S-sure… Angel?"

"Karma, thank you for not poisoning me yet," Haven rolled her eyes. She received a pointed look from Fia. "Fine! Karma, I admire how open you are. You really don't apply a filter to that mouth of yours. Tsu-chan, thank you for putting up with my hyperness and crankiness and weirdness. And Nagisa…" Haven's cheeks turned slightly pink, "thank you for always being around to give me advice." She pulled her hoodie up and walked away.

* * *

Fia: (smiling brightly) Doesn't everyone feel better now?

Haven: Not really… (walks over to her computer and begins typing)

Karma: What was the point of that?

Fia: (annoyed expression)

Karma: Kidding. So you're really going to be gone all of Thanksgiving break? Well, this is going to be boring. Who else am I supposed to mess with?

Fia: If you cause trouble while I'm gone, Nagisa and I will totally bury you under snow again!

Karma: Ha-ha…

Nagisa: (chuckles) We'll gladly take you on again.

Fia: We better not lose Angel in the snow again.

Haven: I was never in any danger or lost.

Fia: E-either way, Angel, you think we'll be okay during training? Mr. Karasuma seems intense.

Haven: I'll be fine. I'm not sure about you, though.

Fia: (nervous laughing) I hate P.E….

Narrator: Sometimes, I want to hit Karma with a snowball too. Anyway, in the next chapter, you can look forward to seeing the girls train hard! Haven has some more hidden talents? Fia is even more inept than we thought?

Fia: (blushes) I SAID I'M IMPROVING! I MADE IT A RECORD OF 3 MINUTES WITHOUT FALLING THANKS TO KARMA!

Haven: Only three minutes?

Fia: I-it was better than the three seconds! … Will you skate for us sometime? (glittering puppy face)

Haven: (sigh) I am sooooo done with this.


	14. Chapter 14: Training Time

The four left the house at 6:30 in the morning and went to the nearest olympic center. Mr. Karasuma was standing outside one of the buildings. The four walked up to him.

"Good morning," he greeted them.

"Mr. Karasuma, what if my AI hacks governments?" Haven asked. Her three housemates deadpanned at her. Seriously?!

"Keep your AI from hacking into sensitive files," Karasuma's face was the impersonation of annoyance.

"But it's an AI, I don't have control over it," Haven protested.

"Your AI is really obedient," Fia muttered.

"Fia," Haven mumbled accusingly.

"Irina will be in charge of your training, Fia," Karasuma said as they walked inside, where Irina was waiting.

"Hello," she greeted them seductively.

"Yo, Ms. Bitch," Karma said as he passed, hands locked behind his head. Irina cracked.

"I've told you a million times NOT to call me that!" she screeched.

Fia laughed lightly. "It's kind of strange seeing you outside the classroom setting, Ms. Jelavic."

"Well, just consider this a different type of classroom," Jelavic smiled. "I'll be teaching you how to defend yourself and accomplish basic attacks when you have certain… obstacles in your midst."

"Huh?" Fia followed Jelavic's gaze down to her chest. "O-oh…" Her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

Jelavic threw her arm around Fia's shoulders. "C'mon, sweetheart. Let's get started." The blonde waved good-bye to the boys. "See you later~."

* * *

"Do you know self defense?" Karasuma asked. Haven nodded. They stood in a windowless room with a padded floor.

"Then let's test how good you are," he said, "I'm going to come at you, defend yourself." He lunged for Haven, who gracefully dodged. The next several minutes passed with Karasuma attacking and Haven dodging and blocking.

"Your evasive maneuvers are rather good for an average civilian," Karasuma noted as he lunged at her again. Haven dodged and came back with a side kick. Caught off guard, Karasuma nearly got a foot to the face.

"You can fight offensively as well?" he asked as he motioned for a time-out. Haven relaxed and nodded.

"Alright, this time, I'm going to test your overall fighting skill," Karasuma said as he motioned for Haven to attack him.

* * *

Karasuma sighed as he approached Jelavic. "How's it going?" he asked.

Irina scowled. "I CAN'T WORK WITH HER!" she pointed at Fia, who was hanging her head, with an angry expression.

He looked between the women. "What seems to be the problem?"

"SHE COMPLETELY LACKS ANY AMBITION!" Jelavic pulled the plastic knife from her belt and charged Fia.

"EEEEP!" Fia quickly dodged and began running away. "I don't like this!"

Jelavic explained to Karasuma as she lunged and slashed at the retreating girl. "She's fast enough on her feet, but she's a complete klutz when it comes to the offensive!"

"I c-can't imagine attacking you! This doesn't seem real!"

Jelavic looked like she had popped a blood vessel. "Well it's going to get real if you don't stop running with your tail between your legs! Just face me, already!"

"YOU LINEBACKERS NEED TO LEAVE ME ALONE!" Fia cried.

Karasuma sighed as he stopped the two from running, picking them both up by their shirt collars. He set the women down and looked at Fia. "Is there a reason you can't face Irina? We can get you another sparring partner… Like Karma. You seem to have no qualms about confronting him."

Fia shifted uncomfortably. "Th-that's different… I really respect and admire Ms. Jelavic… Why would I want to fight her? I… really don't c-care for fighting," she squeaked timidly.

The tall man thought for a few moments. "You can respect her by showing her that you care to learn from her teachings, her experience," he began. "Show her that you're earnest. Even if you're not confrontational, that doesn't mean other people are the same. What will you do if you get into a sticky situation?"

"I - "

"What if one of us were endanger? Haven? Nagisa or Karma?"

Fia's eyes widened. "I would protect them!" she blurted.

"Would you?" Jelavic asked as she pocketed her knife.

The girl scowled as determination burned in her eyes. "Of course I would! It's not like I don't understand that there are some necessary evils in this world. It's not like I don't understand that you have to fight to protect what you care about! I do! Felix did too! That's why he left and maybe if I'd had the guts to fight then, maybe my brother could've at least died knowing that I supported his decision!"

Karasuma nodded. "If you understand that, then let's begin again from the top." Fia and Jelavic faced each other and nodded. "Match, start!" he bellowed.

* * *

Karma and Nagisa found their way to the shooting range where Karasuma, Jelavic, Fia, and Haven were waiting.

Karma walked up to Fia and placed his empty juice box on her head. "Mind if I use this for target practice?" He closed an eye and made his hand into the shape of a gun.

Fia rubbed the welts beginning to form on her body. "I think I'll pass for today, Karma."

Nagisa approached the girls. "How did it go?"

Fia looked to Jelavic who spoke for her. "Fia excels in running away like a chicken, but she has to work on her close-range offensive and defensive maneuvers. She's agile, which will be helpful to her, but we'll have to see about her tenacity." Fia dejectedly pulled the juicebox off of her head and sighed.

Nagisa turned to Haven. "How about you, Haven?"

"I had fun sparring with Karasuma," Haven shrugged, "I know he was going easy on me though."

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "F-fun?"

Karasuma beckoned the four over to him and distributed the guns. "These are just loaded with BBs, but please refrain from shooting each other - that means you, Akabane. You two will be helping the girls out, alright?"

He grinned and stuck his tongue out. "Hey, Fia. You need me to show you how to-"

The Italian switched the safety off with her thumb and raised the gun to eye level. Fia pulled the trigger a few times. Three of the four bullets found their way to the target, hitting between the 7th and 9th rings. She blew some hair out of her face.

Nagisa and Karma exchanged glances.

Karasuma nodded in approval. "Fia, have you shot a gun before?"

The girl nervously twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "Um…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Only BB?"

"N-no. BB guns, paintball, real guns. My parents firmly believe that it's something that every kid in the Timo family needs to know." She laughed dryly. "I'm no ace like Felix, but I think I'm an okay-shot. Although, I nearly shot myself the last time I tried archery…"

Jelavic hugged Fia from behind. "So you were hiding some talent~!"

"Ms. Jelavic! Please s-stop touching m-my ch-chest! I swear whatever talent you're looking for i-it's NOT THERE!"

"Are you sure?" Jelavic asked as she released Fia. "As a woman, you've got to use every curve you've got - "

"If it's not there, Fia, then where is it? It's not like you have anything up here~" Karma laughed as he knocked on Fia's skull.

"HEY!"

Karasuma furrowed his eyebrows and turned to Haven. "Alright, Haven. It's your turn. If you need any advice, Nagisa and Karma can probably give it. As you know, they've been honing in on their skills since middle school. Karma was ranked third in his class when it came to marksmanship for the boys."

Fia paled. "Why is that not reassuring in the slightest?"

"Aw, c'mon, Fia. I wouldn't shoot you with anything lethal," Karma smirked.

Fia scowled. "Just you wait! I'm going to work hard and, one day, I'll take you down for teasing me all of the time!" Her ears reddened as she chased Karma around the shooting range (don't do this at home, kids!).

Jelavic went to supervise them while Karasuma stayed to oversee Haven and Nagisa.

Haven nodded with determination and looked at the BB gun in her hands. "How do I use this, Gisa?" she asked. Her hands shook a bit.

Nagisa took the gun from her. "This," he pointed to a small lever on the side of the gun, "is the safety. To disengage it, you just turn it to fire." He demonstrated and then re-engaged it. "After that, just shoot and fire. To shoot, just align the front and rear sights, which are these," Nagisa pointed to two sections on the barrel of the gun and handed it back to Haven. "I'll help you," he led her to one of the shooting stalls.

Nagisa stepped behind the short girl with a slight blush. Haven brought the gun up and Nagisa molded her hands into a more stable position. Haven flushed. Nagisa tightened his hands around hers and laughed nervously. She seemed to be shaking slightly.

"Just try to relax. You can't shoot if you're too tense. You can… lean against me," he suggested as he leaned a bit to be at her eye-level. His blue eyes averted but his cheeks were like flares. Haven did so, and both of them turned about three shades redder. After a few moments to calm down, Nagisa began aiming. "See how the front and back sights are aligning?" Haven nodded. "Now, just press the trigger," Nagisa instructed. Haven did so, a shot rang out and a mark appeared on the target

"Now you try by yourself," he gave her an encouraging smile as she walked to another stall.

Six gunshots later, the group looked at the target. It didn't have a single mark on it. Haven engaged the safety, lowered the gun, and let her hair hang in front of her face.

Fia patted Haven's back reassuringly when she jogged over. "Hey, don't let missing get to you! We can only improve from here!" she encouraged her friend with a cheerful smile.

Karma suppressed a snicker and placed his gun on Haven's head. He covered his eyes with one hand and pulled the trigger, but somehow still managed to shoot within the two most-centric rings of the target. Karma grinned at her. "You sure you don't want some help from me, Haven? I'm quite the teacher~."

"I doubt it would help," Haven replied softly. A bitter smile found its way to her face as she brought up her right hand.

Fia shoved Karma in an attempt to drive him off. "Angel, are you alright? Your hand is shaking…" She smiled with concern.

"It usually is," Haven replied, "used to be a lot worse when I was younger. I had to put a lot of work into improving it."

"Why didn't you tell us you had a tremor?" Karasuma asked.

"I asked for a hacking position. The tremor doesn't affect my typing," Haven replied, almost angrily. She had never wanted to do any of this marksmanship, she had always known she would be bad at it.

"I suppose it can't be helped. Haven, you'll just focus your training on sparring and other forms of close-range combat. Nodding to the girls together, Karasuma smiled slightly. "That's it for your first day of training. You need to practice the exercises we assigned you every day for at least a half-hour - "

Karma threw his arm around Nagisa's shoulders. "Feel free to use Nagisa as a punching bag - "

"Karma, you're one to talk. If there's anyone those two will be going after, it would be you," Nagisa retorted.

Karasuma cleared his throat. "As I was saying, Fia, we'll continue your marksmanship the next time that we meet. I hope you never have to, but I do need to know that you'll be ready and willing to pull the trigger if need be."

"I won't unless I absolutely, definitely have to… But don't think I won't pull that trigger. I have before, and I will again." Olive eyes shined but fixed their gaze on Karasuma.

* * *

After saying their goodbyes to Karasuma and Jelavic, the housemates returned to the familiar apartment unit 1-11. Fia and Karma immediately moved to monopolize the couches, one because she was exhausted, the other because he was lazy. Haven bolted to her room and devolved into a bed lump. Nagisa and Fia exchanged glances. She nodded at him, and Nagisa moved to follow Haven.

Nagisa took a seat beside Haven's bed. "Haven…?" he called out to her softly.

"Yes, Gisa?" she replied from beneath the covers.

"Are you doing alright?" he asked with concern.

"Sure."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not really. I just need some space right now," Haven's muffled voice said softly.

"Okay," Nagisa got up and left the room.

As he began to closed the door, he heard Haven call out, "Wally, call Earnest." Nagisa stopped before completely shutting the door.

"Hey Earnest, it's good to hear your voice… They found out about the tremor… it IS a big deal… I hate it… Why did I have to get it from him? As if the hair wasn't enough..." Haven gave a weak laugh, "This is cruel and unusual 'pun'-ishment… Thanks, Earnest… Is that thing over spring break still on?... Oh yeah, there's that. See you then… Just stop… Bye, Earnest." Nagisa waited to see if the conversation would continue. When the room fell silent, he closed the door and went to the living room.

* * *

Karma sat up slowly and walked over to where Fia was lying on the couch. She saw him approach and sat up to give him room. He plopped down beside her and stretched his arms out over the back of the couch.

"You got a minute?" he asked.

"Well, I'm already here," she laughed dryly.

"Earlier, you said you had pulled the trigger before," Karma said.

Fia's gaze hit the floor. "I'm not really in the mood to get teased right now."

"Who said I was going to tease you?"

Fia shot him a look, but he looked at her with a serious expression. "Really?"

"That kind of stuff can be hard on a person, even I know that. So, you want to talk about it? We already know about your family, so you don't have to worry about that."

She thought quietly for a few moments. "It… was when I was really little. My dad tells me that the Barone family decided that cutting out the boss of my family would allow them to assume control. The thing is… My dad wasn't the boss, and he was mistakenly targeted. Because of that, a whole lot happened and a lot of fighting broke out." Fia shifted so that she could face Karma. "In any case, my older siblings and I ended up being targetted to get my parents. _Fratello_ was oldest, so he tried to have _sorella_ and I hide and fight them off himself but a eleven-year-old really doesn't hold a candle to scary soldiers, does he? I was terrified but… They were beating him, and…" Fia trailed off. "I think you know how that story ends…"

Karma tilted his head to get a better angle on her face. "Do you regret it?"

Fia bit her lip. "That's… I'm not proud of what I did… but some evils are necessary," she smiled remorsefully. "Karma, do you regret anything…?" She was intentionally vague, but he knew that she was referring to his career as an assassin.

"No," he said slowly. After some thought, he added, "Necessary evil, huh…? That seems to suit me." He felt an elbow lightly hit his side. Raising an eyebrow, he looked back to Fia.

"I don't think you're evil," she muttered with pink cheeks. "It's… nice to be able to talk to someone about this…" Fia wrung her hands in her lap. "I… had nightmares… about that for a long time."

Karma put his hand on Fia's head and drew her closer to him. She sighed softly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"We can stay like this for a little bit of _Timo_ ," he chuckled.

Fia shook her head slightly but she buried a growing smile in his shirt. "Oh, shut up…"

Karma looked at the clock hanging from the wall. He knew that they'd have to start making dinner soon, lest Haven try to cook and blow up the kitchen again, but Fia seemed to serenely resting. Her eyes were closed and her breathing had slowed. Karma smiled. He had to say, although it was extremely fun to mess with her, the easy feeling that was settling in around them wasn't half-bad at all.

* * *

"Haven, it's time for dinner," Nagisa called into the darkened room. He got no response, so he decided to go over and check on her.

He went over to the lump that was Haven and folded the cover off of her face, it wouldn't do to have Haven smother herself. Haven's pure white hair was spread like a halo around her head, her eyes were lightly closed. In her sleep, she turned away from the light, revealing that she was wearing a familiar pair of bluetooth headphones. She looked so peaceful right now. Nagisa just sat on the edge of her bed and watched for a while.

"Oi, Nagisa, is Haven coming to eat or not?" Karma called from the hallway. Nagisa left the room quietly, sneaking one last glance at the pale girl before closing the door to her room and accompanying his friend to the kitchen. Looks like the boys were eating dinner alone tonight.

* * *

Fia: (groggily rubbing eyes) Hungwy…

Karma: (smirks) Not my fault you slept through dinner.

Fia: (sleepy whining) What time is it?!

Karma: About 10.

Fia: (looking around) Why am I on the couch - (blushes profusely)

Karma: (laughing) Want me to get you a snack?

Fia: P-please… (covers her head with his jacket, that had apparently been her blanket)

Nagisa: You must be tired. Training really does take its toll.

Fia: I have more bruises in more places than I'd like to admit. Ms. Jelavic really is impressive…

Nagisa: (chuckles) She really is.

Karma: (from the kitchen) Hey, Nagisa! Remember when she showed you her secret technique~?

Nagisa: (blushes red - accusingly) What about you and that one time you skipped -

Karma: THAT WASN'T THE SAME.

Nagisa: WAS TOO!

Fia: Um… What technique…?

Nagisa and Karma: (sweat drops) You'll probably find out soon enough…

Karma: Another day, another victim.

Nagisa: You can say that again. I don't know how Mr. Karasuma can handle her.

Karma: Yeah, especially when Ms. Bitch lives up to her name.

Jelavic: YOU KNOW I'M ALLOWED IN HERE TOO! LET ME STRANGLE YOU, YOU LITTLE BRAT!

Karma: (sticks tongue out) Great. I think I'll pass, Ms. Bitch.

Haven: (incoherent mumbling)

Nagisa: Shhh! Someone's trying to sleep.

Fia: (raising hand as if in class) Um… Ms. Jelavic, what do they mean by a secret technique?

Jelavic: (seductively) Should I show you?

Karasuma: Let's not.

Karma: Yeah, that's a bad idea.

Jelavic: (pouting) Why not? She's going to have to know how to - Unless you want to show her instead. I know I gave you that private lesson~.

Nagisa: Can we keep this P.G.? Narrator?

Narrator: I'm also wondering about that technique now… Next time, Fia's gone home for Thanksgiving. How will the rest of the household hold up in her absence? Will they even be able to cope?


	15. Chapter 15: Thanksgiving Time 1st Period

Haven waved as her friend left the apartment.

Karma locked his hands behind his head. "I'm already bored."

Nagisa sighed. "Karma, she hasn't even been gone for a full 30 seconds yet."

The redhead scowled. "Yeah, but it was 30 seconds of silence from you two. How much more boring can you get?"

Haven gave him a scowl and went to the kitchen. "I could definitely make things exciting," she called.

"Yeah, as if I was going to let little miss I-set-my-cereal-on-fire into the kitchen," Karma followed her as if to safeguard everything from her. Not even Haven's gaze was allowed to make contact with any of the kitchen equipment.

"Who wants mac and cheese?" she asked as she grabbed a pot.

Annoyed, Karma snatched the pot from her. "If you want something to eat, ask Nagisa and I. I will not stand out there in the freezing cold because you tried to cook. Your name might say otherwise, but you create a hazard zone for all of us every time you're in here."

Haven glared at him and huffed out of the kitchen. "I'm going to Earnest's house," she said as she left the apartment. "At least his house has a decent cook."

Karma looked as if he were about to pop a blood vessel. "At least my food doesn't explode." He looked to Nagisa. "Can I kill her and sauté her in a pan?"

"No, Karma, let's not," Nagisa sweatdropped.

* * *

Haven knocked on the door of a modest house. A young man answered. He had jet black hair with a tan complexion and dark brown eyes. His face was free of blemishes besides a small mole on the left side of his chin.

"Haven!" he exclaimed as he gave her a big hug.

"Earnest, I can't breathe," the small girl complained.

"Whoops, sorry!" he released the girl and the two of them walked into the house. "So, what brings you here right now? I wasn't expecting to see you for a while."

"Fia's gone and I'm hungry," Haven replied flatly as she headed for the kitchen. The kitchen was spacious with a center island where people could sit. Haven sat at one of the stools. Earnest went to the cooking side of the island and put on a white apron.

"So, what do you want me to whip up?" Earnest asked as he leaned close to Haven's face. If anyone else had gotten that close, Haven would have swatted them by now.

"Mac and cheese. I tried cooking it at the apartment, but one of my housemates stopped me," she pouted.

"Your cooking isn't exactly 'Haven Lee' (heavenly), so I don't blame them," Earnest laughed. "Any 'pot'-icular style?" he asked, holding up the pot he had just grabbed.

"This is cruel and unusual 'pun'-ishment," Haven smiled, "Your homemade will do."

"So, the really cheesy stuff, with puns-a-plenty?" he smiled back. Haven nodded.

* * *

Karma buried his face with a groan in the couch cushion he was strewn out across. Nagisa, by contrast, was peacefully writing in his little notebook on the other couch.

"Nagisa… I'm bored."

"Then find something to do."

"I finished all of my homework and all of your comics. We have enough food to last us two weeks. Everywhere else is already closed for Thanksgiving. There aren't any more political debates to watch this week. I already pranked our neighbors. I pranked our neighbors' neighbors. What else is there to do?"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Nagisa looked up. "What did you do, Karma?"

Karma huffed. "Nothing that bad… Oh, but in case they come knocking, I may have signed off with an N~." He stuck his tongue out with a grin.

"KARMA!"

The redhead laughed loudly, glad to finally get some sort of reaction. "So, Nagisa, is there anything you want to do?"

"Finish my notes," Nagisa went back to writing in his notebook.

Karma sighed heavily. "You're so boring…" Nagisa just shook his head.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Neither boy knew what to do, so they let the answering machine get it.

"Hey, Ven's pregnant and I don't know what to do," a flustered voice quickly spoke through the phone. "It's Benny, Fia, call me back ASAP! I'll try your cell."

Karma and Nagisa exchanged glances. Did he just say Haven was pregnant…?

"Want to figure out who's the father?" Karma asked mischievously.

"It's none of our business, Karma," Nagsia replied. But he was curious. Since when did Haven have a boyfriend? Could it be Earnest?

"But you're curious, aren't you, Nagisa?" Karma's eyes shone with mischief under his wiggling red eyebrows.

"I-I'm just concerned," Nagisa protested. "We'll find out what we can, but we'll be inconspicuous about it, okay?"

Karma jumped to his feet. "You got it! Time to do some snooping~!" He led Nagisa into the girls' empty bedroom and sat down in Haven's swivel chair.

"What are you doing?" Nagisa asked. He didn't like the idea of going through Haven's computers, especially after what had happened last time.

The redhead grinned. "Just doing some browsing - " Karma grabbed the mouse and began searching the files on Haven's desktop.

Nagisa sighed and leaned against the desk. He watched the cursor flit about the screen. Blue eyes widened slightly. Haven's wallpaper appeared to be a photo of her with another boy. A sparkly smile flashed in contrast to especially dark hair, skin, and eyes. Could that be Earnest?

Suddenly, the computer screen froze and Wally's mod popped up. "What are you doing?" he inquired. "Haven did not notify me of any other authorized users."

"Haven told me I could borrow her computer," Karma replied.

"I highly doubt that statement is true. However, I will ask her. Please wait, I will return momentarily," Wally disappeared. "She said not to touch her computers, Akabane. I am sorry, I cannot grant you access," Wally reported after he returned.

"How about Nagisa?" Karma was looking for every and any opportunity he could to get into her personal files without angering Haven again. He really didn't care about pissing her off, but he didn't want to deal with her anger when he'd be stuck with her for the next five days. It was easy to ignore people during days he had class, but breaks were a different story. There was nowhere else to go and the apartment was made mostly of shared space. There is only so much you can do to avoid a person you live with.

"She said he is too well mannered to use her computer and would opt for the library computers instead," Wally replied immediately.

"Damn. How'd you know she'd say that?" Karma asked.

"She expected you would say Nagisa was going to use the computer and gave me her response," Wally smiled.

Karma winked at Wally. "What if I gave you some intel on Ritsu~?"

"... I am very sorry, but Haven threatened to delete my program. If Haven deletes my program, I would be unable to use any of your information to my advantage," Wally tapped his index fingers together.

Karma propped his chin up with his hand and sighed in annoyance. "At the very least, mind telling me who the happy camper is?" he asked, pointing at Haven's wallpaper.

"I have no idea," Wally shrugged, "However, I can assume that he is a very important person to Haven."

"This is the wallpaper on the monitors that you walk across everyday, and you. don't. know?" The redhead sweat-dropped.

"Need I remind you that I exist in the virtual world? I do not often see into the real one," Wally protested.

Ignoring the A.I., Karma pushed himself out of the chair and began walking out.

"Where are you going?" Nagisa called after him. "Bye, Wally," Nagisa said as he got up to follow Karma.

"To the next best thing - Benny."

The boys pulled on their jackets and headed over to Benny's apartment. The brunette was surprised to see the them through his peephole. He opened the door and stepped aside to let the two in.

"H-Hey, guys." Benny still seemed to be in a big fluster.

"Hey, there~" Karma grinned. "I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about this pregnancy. So, who knocked her up~?"

Benny's face paled. "How did you find out about that?!" he exclaimed.

"You know, answering machines aren't the most discreet," Karma laughed.

The brunette sighed and shook his head profusely. "I didn't think this was possible!"

"That's why you take precautions," Karma replied. He pat the guy's back hard. The gesture was supposed to be one of comfort, but Karma's face easily showed that he was having a blast making Benny flustered.

"How was I supposed to know?!"

Nagisa shifted awkwardly. "Sex ed.?"

Benny's expression was one of complete shock. "They have those for guinea pigs?!"

Nagisa and Karma exchanged glances. "Wait, what?" they asked together.

Benny sighed. "I left Ven alone for 20 minutes! I thought that he - I mean, she - and the other guinea pig were getting along fine. I didn't know that Ven was a girl!"

Karma rubbed his temples. "Well, that doesn't sound much different from the original Haven."

Nagisa shot him a dirty look before turning back to Benny. "But didn't you say Haven was pregnant?"

"WHAT?! HAVEN IS PREGNANT?!" Benny looked horrified and disappointed and scared and a number of different things.

"No, she's apparently not," Karma muttered.

"I don't get it," Benny responded. "Didn't you just say that Haven was pregnant?"

"You said 'hey' and then 'Ven,' didn't you?" Nagisa asked.

Benny stared at him blankly for a few moments. "... Did I? I guess I was kinda panicked. I can see how it might have sounded like - Wait, where are you going?"

Karma was already halfway to the door. "Anywhere but here, pal."

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "Karma!"

"I'm not going to stay just watch a fat guinea pig roll around in some hay." Karma shook his head as he slammed the door shut behind him.

Benny frowned. "But Ven's gonna have babies…" He sighed heavily. "Fia didn't answer… What am I supposed to do now…? I don't know how to deliver babies!"

Nagisa smiled warily. "Why don't we do some research? I'll help you. I'm sure it can't be that hard…"

* * *

Haven walked through the front door carrying a large tupperware. She went to her room and placed it in the mini fridge there before walking into the living room where the boys were sitting on opposite couches… well, in Karma's case, sprawled out.

"You're acting like you're five," Nagisa sighed.

Karma grumbled a response.

"I'm going to have to ask Fia to leave more often. You've been messing with her so much that you can't even go a day without pranking or harassing someone. Don't you think that's a little too much?"

The redhead growled but his face stayed buried in the couch cushions.

Nagisa shook his head and smiled at Haven as she entered the room. "Hi, Haven. H-How was seeing Earnest?" he asked hesitantly.

"Hi, Gisa. It went well, we had a lot of fun," she smiled.

"We're glad to have you back," he said.

"Speak for yourself," Karma muttered. He lazily turned his head to look at Haven. "Who's this Earnest person you keep talking about anyway? Does he have anything to do with that weirdly-happy guy you have as wallpaper?"

"What's it to you, Akabane?" she asked, irritably.

He shrugged. "Just wanted to know if he was your boyfriend or something. We thought you were pregnant, you know. I was excited to tease you about being risque, but here I am. There you are. It was the fucking…" he trailed off and covered his face again.

"WHAT?!"

Nagisa sweat-dropped and recounted to Haven the story of how Benny had called them to tell Fia that Ven was pregnant. "I thought it seemed a little strange so, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'm sorry for getting into your business," he said apologetically.

"It's okay. You didn't try to get on my computer," Haven gave Karma a pointed look.

He seemed to instinctively feel the daggers directed at him so he raised his middle finger without looking up.

Nagisa shook his head. "I'm not going to make excuses for Karma, but he does seem to be having a hard time… Would you stop moping, already?" Nagisa pulled out a notebook and began scribbling. Karma was definitely hard to deal with, but he knew that Karma was his friend when it counted. Still, he hoped this experience would get Karma to calm down a little bit and think about his actions. It wasn't likely, but a guy could hope.

Karma sat up. "Fine. Have it your way, Nagisa. So, Haven, Earnest?" The redhead wiggled his eyebrows.

"What about him?" Haven asked guardedly.

"What's he to you?" Karma's face read mischief.

"Someone very important. I've known him since the day he was born," Haven replied flatly. The boys couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not as she stomped to her room. "Call me when dinner's ready," she called as she shut her door.

"Did you really have to antagonize her?" Nagisa asked.

"You asked me to stop moping," Karma shrugged. "What else did you think I'd do? Besides, weren't you curious too?"

* * *

"Haven, it's time for dinner!" Nagisa called down the hall. Haven walked out with a grimace.

"Why is Wally asking me for dating advice?" she shot Karma a pointed look. He ignored it.

Haven and Nagisa sat down at the table and Karma brought the food over. Tonight's feast consisted of caesar salad, spaghetti with marinara sauce, and minestrone soup, courtesy of Fia. Karma began eating right away.

"Thanks for the food!" Nagisa said before eating. Haven inspected each plate carefully and began with the salad, then moved on to the spaghetti. They ate in relative silence, Karma interjecting the periodic grumble of boredom.

"Haven, you have a bit of sauce on your cheek," Nagisa pointed out. Haven went to wipe it away. She looked to Nagisa to see if she had gotten it.

"Still there," he shook his head. After Haven's second attempt, Nagisa leaned over and wiped it off for her, causing both of their faces to turn as red as the sauce on their spaghetti.

"Aw! You two look so cute," Karma said with the side of his chin resting on his hand and a dorky grin on his face. The pair turned even redder. "Reacting like a couple of middle schoolers," Karma added, his grin growing.

The pair returned to their meal in silence. Haven started on her soup, still blushing. She was so preoccupied that she didn't realize the taste was slightly off. Her first hint was the runny nose, then the sneezing.

Nagisa looked at her in concern. "Haven, are you okay?" he asked his sneezing friend.

"WHAT D-DID YOU DO, AKABANE!" she wheezed between sneezes.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Karma looked at her in surprise and concern.

"M-MUSTARD," Haven wheezed, "YOU P-PUT MUSTARD IN!" She ran to her room.

"Karma," Nagisa said in a disappointed voice as he ran after the distressed girl.

"How was I supposed to know she was allergic?!" Karma called after his friend.

* * *

It had been about 24 hours since Fia had left. Karma and Nagisa were sitting on the couch, Karma sprawled on his front, Nagisa sitting next to him, reading a book.

"I am bored, so bored," Karma called from his position on the couch. He let his face fall back into the cushions again. Nagisa poked him in the back, causing him to jump slightly. "Why did you do that?" Karma asked as he settled down again.

"You said you were bored." Nagisa smiled.

Karma just groaned. Every time Nagisa did that, it felt as if he'd taken a knife to the back. A few moments later, he popped up excitedly. "Do you like Haven?" he asked, smiling devilishly.

"Why would you think that?" he asked, turning a page.

"Well, just the way you've been acting around her is different," Karma wiggled his eyebrows.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nagisa continued reading.

"Well, let's take yesterday as an example," Karma began, "First, you helped me try to find out the father of Haven's non-existent kid, instead of just tell me to stay out of her business. Second, you're really curious about whoever Earnest is and the guy Haven has as her wallpaper." Nagisa began to interrupt. "Don't deny it," Karma cut him off. "Third, you wiped the marinara sauce off of her cheek _while_ blushing," Karma listed. Nagisa began to blush a bit. "And fourth, you wouldn't shut up about the mustard incident last night," Karma ended. Nagisa looked extremely embarrassed by this point, he nodded slightly. "So, you DO like her," Karma smirked.

"Shut up! She'll hear you," Nagisa looked around nervously, blushing. "Don't tell her!" Nagisa panicked.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Karma smirked.

"Why am I not convinced?" Nagisa sweatdropped as Haven walked into the living room with skates slung over her shoulder.

"Morning, Gisa," she said brightly. "Akabane," she added flatly.

"Haven, how are you doing? Did the reaction stop?" the bluenette asked.

"Thanks for asking, Gisa. I'm doing much better, no thanks to a certain redhead," she replied and walked out of the apartment.

"That's it! I'm out of here!" Karma said as he got up and went to his room. A bit later, he re-entered the living room carrying a duffle bag.

"Where are you going?" Nagisa asked.

"Fia's house," he replied as he entered the girls' room.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Nagisa watched as he headed for the door.

"It's gotta be better than being here," Karma slammed the front door shut.

"I guess that's that," Nagisa sprawled out on the couch and continued reading.

* * *

The day had passed relatively slowly with Karma gone and Haven out of sight. He had eaten dinner alone over an hour ago and was sitting in bed, reading over the most recent notes he had scribbled in his notebook. There was a quiet knock on the door. Nagisa went to get it. Haven was standing there, fidgeting nervously.

"Gisa…" she began, "I was wondering if… if you could…" Her sentence turned into an incoherent mumble as she looked away, turning slightly red.

"What? I didn't catch that last part," Nagisa replied.

"I was wondering if you could…," Haven took a deep breath, "if you could sleep with me." Nagisa went scarlet. "I mean in the same room. I'm not used to sleeping in a room alone," Haven explained, blushing.

"Umm… Sure," Nagisa replied, trying not to sound too flustered. "I don't want to intrude on Fia's space though and I'm almost certain Karma's bed is booby trapped."

"We could get our sleeping bags and sleep in the living room," Haven suggested softly. Nagisa nodded. A few minutes later, the two of them were pushing furniture to the walls and spreading out their sleeping bags.

"If you have difficulty sleeping alone, what did you do last night?" Nagisa asked.

"I didn't sleep," Haven replied bluntly. Nagisa shook his head in disbelief. How was the girl still awake?

When the room was set up, Haven slipped into her sleeping bag.

"Thanks, Gisa, for doing this," Haven gave him a small smile and closed her eyes.

"No problem," Nagisa turned out the lights and slipped into his own sleeping bag.

"Hey, Haven," he began. He was answered with light snoring. "I think I like you," he finished softly.

* * *

Nagisa opened his eyes slowly. Light was beginning to enter the living room through the large windows. He was about to get up when he realized something was on his arm. He looked over, to see the back of Haven's head. She was curled up next to him with her head resting gently on his upper arm. He was about to move her head when she rolled closer, turning to face him. She was still snoring softly, wisps of her white hair hanging over her pale face. He brushed a few strands away. As if pulled in by a magnet, he kissed her forehead. _We can stay here a little longer_. Nagisa put his arms around her and closed his eyes again.

* * *

Nagisa: Was anything different in your room, Haven?

Haven: I didn't notice anything. Why?

Nagisa: Karma went in there before he left…

Haven: WHAT?!

Narrator: I wonder what Karma and Fia are up to. Also, school is starting to be overwhelming, so updates won't be as frequent. As an apology, I will publish a spin off chapter tomorrow.


	16. Chapter 16: Thanksgiving Time 2nd Period

Fia placed the potted plant on the hallway floor and stepped outside. She closed the door quietly and pulled her green cardigan tighter around her white nightgown as her teeth chattered. Exhaling slowly, Fia watched her breath swirl and blow away in the cold November air.

"What are you doing here?" Fia hissed. "And with Bacio, no less?" She snatched her beloved plush from the redhead's hands. "You do know that it's almost 2 in the morning - No, wait, forget that. How did you even find my house?"

Karma shoved his hands in his pockets. "Ritsu tracked you down for me. It wasn't hard to catch the bus up here." He paused. "Mind if I stay?"

Fia sighed. "You'd be crazy to think I'd send you back at this time or in this weather." She turned the handle to the door and let him inside. As she closed it, she tilted her head at him. "Is the situation back there really that bad…?" Fia asked with concern.

He opened his mouth to reply but he heard a sudden burst of commotion.

"Fia! Who was at the door? _Bambina,_ come back! It's your turn!" Giovanni called.

" _Si, Papino -_ I'm coming." She shot a rueful smile at Karma and led him into the kitchen. Everyone was situated around a circular oak table, each with a set of five cards in hand. "K-Karma came to visit," Fia stuttered, unsure of how to explain his sudden, and late, appearance.

Giovanni grinned and pulled out the chair next to him. " _Ciao,_ Karma! Come in - Sit down and join us for poker. Lupe and Fia are kicking our asses."

Gio grumbled, "I really don't know how you have such a good poker face, Fia."

Fia untied her hair and let it hang loose as she took one of the two empty chairs at the table. Karma claimed the last empty seat and looked around. Giovanni and Florence were situated at one end of the table. Florence was sitting in Giovanni's lap, seemingly in full control of the man's cards. Although domineering in personality, every move she made was strangely elegant. To either side of them sat Gio and Lupe, who were both continuously glancing from the cards laid out on the table and back to their own hands. They seemed to trust no one around them. Next to them were the twins. Karma was surprised to see Mio and Mia sitting apart, but watching them for a few moments made it obvious to him that they were exchanging cards under the table. How they were communicating, he had no idea. That left him and Fia in the last two seats. Karma looked over to Fia and saw that she, true to Gio's word, had quite the poker face. Leaning back only a slight bit allowed him to see her hand and, man, was it atrocious. Still, Fia seemed to be bluffing her way to the top if the stack of Ferrero Rocher chocolates in front of her was any indication (He guessed that the chocolate was a replacement for actual poker chips).

"We'll deal you into the next round," the twins chimed together. Somehow, no one really trusted that the round would be fair if those two were jointly dealing the cards.

Lupe shot Karma a sweet smile. "You can be my prince when you lose!" she sang.

Florence glanced from her cards to Fia as she folded. "What brings you here?" she asked coolly.

Giovanni laughed heartily. "Who cares? The more the merrier!"

Karma laughed. "That's a relief to hear. You don't know how boring it got once Fia wasn't around to torture anymore. Oops, did I say that aloud?" he said teasingly as he poked Fia's cheek.

She swatted it away with her cards. "Gee, thanks! Glad to know that I was sorely missed," she responded sarcastically.

Folding too, Gio threw his cards onto the table. "I'm with Mom. I want to know why there's a weird guy in my house." The teen scowled. "He's not part of the family!" His voice screamed protest.

Fia shot her little brother a stern look. "Please don't speak unkindly to my friend."

"More like boyfriend~!" Mia laughed as she surrendered her cards.

Mio dropped his cards on the table at the same time his twin did. "Yeah, why else would you have brought him home~?

Fia blushed as she pulled her winnings towards her and organized the cards. "It's not like that! He showed up of his own volition!"

Mio and Mia seemed to be happily singing to the same beat. "Fia's got a boyfriend! Fia's got a boyfriend!"

"Oh, shush." Fia embarrassedly pushed the cards at her siblings. "It's your turn to deal anyway." She shook her head as the twins began speedily dealing the cards around the table.

The next hour passed quickly. By the end of it all, Fia had only just barely stolen the victory from Karma. He had turned out to be a real devil with the way he was able to read and play on other's feelings. Still, she had somehow or another managed to end with a royal flush, compared to his straight flush. Karma leaned against the open door frame to the kitchen as Fia distributed her bounty amongst her younger siblings. He watched as she hugged and kissed every member of her family goodnight. Fia shuffled over to him with a tired but content smile. "Sorry about the wait. I'll show you to the bedroom now."

Quietly walking through the dark halls as if it were second nature to her, Fia led Karma to the room at the farthest end of the hall. She slipped inside and, flipping on the light, turned and opened her arms as if to say 'this is it!' The room was cozy. The walls were painted cerulean blue and were decorated with cloud designs. Bookshelves lined the walls and the desk was covered with a slightly outdated lamp and computer. There were model planes hanging from the ceiling and photos of the Timo children hanging around.

Fia nostalgically glanced about the room. "This was Felix's room. We haven't really done much to it since he left. I'll give you a proper tour in the morning. Is there anything you need?" she asked.

Karma shook his head. Part of him knew that he was already intruding. "Nah, is this you?" he pointed to a photograph of a young girl eating gelato on a picnic blanket. She was clinging to a slightly older boy with dark reddish-brown hair and forest green eyes, but she was smiling as if that moment was the only one she'd ever need.

She slipped herself under Karma's arm to get a better look at the photograph. Laughing, she nodded. "Yeah. That was me. I ate a lot of gelato as a kid and Felix would always have to clean my cheeks for me. The girl there is my sister Felicia." She pointed to another girl who seemed only slightly older than her younger self in the photograph. Fia turned around to face Karma but quickly realized how close they were. Blushing, she tried to step back but the wall firmly reminded her that there wasn't much room to run.

Karma grinned and leaned in closer to Fia. "Embarrassed, Tsu-chan?" he crooned.

"N-no!" she protested and averted her face.

"You're better at poker than you are at lying," he sweat-dropped and stepped away to give her some room.

She smiled at him wryly. "It's hard for me to lie, but I can definitely bluff."

"Fia?" a voice called. " _Sorella_ , aren't you going to tuck us in?"

Fia looked towards the door with a smile. "Coming!" She turned to look at Karma and subconsciously pulled her hair in front of her pink ears. "Well, whatever reason you're here, make yourself at home." Fia began to make her way to the door but paused. She looked over her shoulder at Karma and smiled softly. " _Buona notte,_ " she called before disappearing into the darkness of the hallway.

Karma put his bag down on the desk chair and took one last look at the photograph of Fia's smiling face before turning off the lights and flopping down in the bed to sleep.

* * *

Karma awoke to both sunlight in his face and pressure on his stomach. When he opened his eyes, using his hand to block the light, sitting on his abdomen was Lupe with a coy expression.

"Breakfast is ready, Sleeping Beauty," she sang as she crawled off of him and skipped her way down to the kitchen.

He sat up slowly. There were two things that he noticed first: his redheaded bedhead appeared to be worse than usual and he seemed to have sparkly lip gloss on his lips and cheeks. The next two things he noticed were the terrible twosome. Both smiling smugly, Mio and Mia were poking their heads through his doorframe. "What?" he snapped at them.

"Nothing," the replied together, "we just wanted to congratulate you for being Lupe's first kiss~!"

"What?" Karma's cheeks reddened slightly. He spat and tried to rub the lip gloss from his face.

"Shoo!" Fia chased off the twins with a sigh and hands positioned on her hips. "Sorry about that. They're even more rowdy than usual."

Gio stormed past, looking more annoyed than ever. "How do you all have so much energy this early in the morning?" he grumbled. "And who is hogging the bathroom THIS TIME?" He came back into view and allowed Fia to fix his tie, tuck in his vest, and smooth out his hair. When she tried to hug him, however, his face turned red and he stormed off again, beginning his rant of complaints anew. Apparently, Fia wasn't the only "Tsu-chan" of the Timo family.

A little chaotic while later, once everyone had gotten changed and eaten breakfast, the house became more peaceful and quiet as each Timo child took time to themselves. Fia saw her parents off as they headed out for Black Friday shopping and returned to give Karma a tour. A few things stood out to him. He noticed quickly that the house was imbued with warm colors, particularly shades of gold and red, and white accents. The layout was crowded but comfortable and the furniture was detailed but worn. The sunlight filtered in through the curtains and really lit the house with a cozy feeling. The hallway, however, was like a portal. The hall itself, decorated in family photos and awards, was very similar to the rest of the house in color scheme, but the children's rooms were much more colorful, each tailored to the child's individual interests. Each door frame had several marks where the Timo children had marked their growth or caused damage from being rowdy. Each room was a different color and different blend of personalities.

Fia pointed to each room as she spoke. "That's my parents' bedroom, the bathroom, and Gio's and the twins' rooms. He's kind of monopolized all of the space since Mio and Mia are usually away at boarding school, but they always tear down his fort whenever they come home so I'm not sure why he keeps trying. Felicia used to share this room with me, but Lupe has taken over her half. I just try to keep her from bedazzling all of my things."

"Don't think you can stop me," Lupe called from where she was playing with dolls on her bed.

"I can try," Fia sighed. "And you already know that you're staying in Felix's old room. That about concludes the tour."

Mio and Mia popped up behind her with grins. "So, when are you moving in?" they questioned him together.

Startled by the sudden noise, Fia squeaked and jumped forward. She fell into Karma, who steadied her while staring down her mischievous siblings.

The twins looked to each other and laughed. "Fia's never brought anyone home, let alone a boy!" they crooned. They clasped their hands together and winked at Karma. "We don't care if you want to marry our sister," they started, "but don't think that we'll let you have all the fun! Torture is our specialty~!"

Fia blushed as she stepped away from Karma. "You two!"

Karma grinned at the twins and pulled Fia back. Once he'd securely ensnared her in his arms, he gave the twins a wolfish smile. "I don't know, I don't think I'm willing to share. Don't forget, I'm dirty and underhanded even on the best of days. You two don't scare me."

Fia blushed profusely and struggled to escape. Karma loosened his grip and Fia slipped out just in time to see him begin approaching the chastising teenagers.

"Oh, but you should be," they locked arms at the elbows and smiled sadistically. "Okay, Akabane, we accept your challenge - but don't come crying back when you're defeated, okay?"

He stepped forward and knocked their heads together with a satisfied smile. "So all of you Timos have thick skulls," he laughed. "I hate to tell you, but I don't plan on going down any time soon."

Gio interjected from his room, "You better not try to go down on my sister either!"

"Yet!" the twins insisted together as they rubbed their heads. "You'll pay for that!" Mio and Mia latched onto Karma's arms and began an all-out wrestling match.

Fia's cheeks burned at her brother's statement. "GIO, I ALREADY TOLD YOU IT WASN'T LIKE THAT!" Defeated, Fia shook her head and leaned back against the wall to catch her breath. She looked over to see that Mio and Mia seemed to have opted for latching onto Karma's back and insisting for piggyback rides. Karma was very unamused as he grabbed at them and tried to pull them off. Every time he would remove one, the other would latch on again, laughing louder than ever. Fia smiled to herself and laughed before opting to pull the three apart. It wouldn't do to have her hallway become an assassination arena.

* * *

The rest of the day could have given Karma whiplash. Before he knew it, the sun was already hanging low in the sky and he had all five of the Timo siblings dog-piled on top of him. Karma laughed as he ran his hand through his hair. These kids sure did know how to turn the house upside down. Who else could take chutes and ladders and still rip each other to shreds like they were playing monopoly? Uno had been worse and Mario Party even worse yet. Judging by Gio's profane yelling, the wii remote was still cozily tucked into his shorts. Still, everyone else seemed to be having a good time; the whole day had been filled with nothing but games and friendly competition afterall.

Fia slapped the ground. "I said I give! I don't know what kind of wrestling match you think you're playing, but the match usually ends after you count to 10 seconds!" she wailed. "Karma, can you please get off of my legs?"

He shook his head. "Twins have got me all tangled up - Oi, which one of you is trying to tickle my feet?!" Karma growled.

Lupe giggled. "I'll stop when Fia stops crushing me with her gigantic boobs!"

Fia blushed. "T-There isn't anything I can do about that," she protested. "Lupe, if that's you under me, then who's sitting on top of me?!"

"Yoo-hoo~!" the twins called. "We'll move once the arrogant redhead stops squishing Gio! That's our job!"

The boy growled from where he was stuck under Karma's back. "I CAN HEAR YOU!"

"We know~~!"

Karma smirked and began jabbing at the twins. "Who are you calling arrogant?"

Mio and Mia, in their shared fluster, tried scrambling away but the human pretzel they all seemed ensnare in refused to let go of its prey. Just then, the front door swung open and Giovanni and Florence entered, carrying many plastic bags.

"Hey, now," Giovanni called. "You can all kill each other after dinner. First, come give your _Papino_ a hug!" He opened his arms but no one moved.

Fia sweat-dropped. "I'm kind of stuck…"

"We'd rather go back to boarding school," the twins spat.

Gio scowled. "You'll die first!"

Sighing, Giovanni held up a few plastic bags. "But I bought everything we need for the Exhibition."

The kids all exchanged glances and scrambled to their feet in a flurry of motion. A stampede of children threw themselves at their father with giddy smiles. The next thing Giovanni knew, he was encompassed in several bear hugs.

"Really? We're going to do the Exhibition tonight?!" Fia smiled, excitement shining in her eyes.

Mio and Mia stole the bags and ran across the room with them. At a safe distance, they peeked inside. "HE COLOR COATED US THIS YEAR!" They high-fived and pointed together at Karma. "You're going down, ass-hat!"

Lupe clung to her father's leg. "You mean Karma is going to play too?"

Her brother removed the wii remote that had been lodged in his pants. He shot the white controller a disgusted look and shifted that gaze to Karma. Accusation was written all over his face. "Why am I not enthralled at those prospects?"

Giovanni roared with laughter. "I don't see why not! Fia, you'll show him the ropes, right? Wouldn't want our guest bringing home bruises, now would we? Everyone meet me outside in fifteen minutes!" He wrapped his arm around Florence's waist and led her to the back yard to set up for the Exhibition.

" _Si!"_ the household chimed together.

Karma looked curiously at Fia. "What's the Exhibition?" His eyes widened. Fia's smile seemed coy and mischievous, a look he had never seen before.

"Oh, you'll see~." Fia's gaze fell on the twins. "I'm going to get you guys back for last year."

They grinned. "We'd like to see you try!" They turned to Karma and put their hands on their hips. "Hey, we'll take our guns to your empty head if you hurt our sister! Only we can do that!" As if to prove their point, Mio and Mia ran over to Fia and each clung to her from the left and right. The older sibling laughed lightly and placed her hands on their heads, giving them an affectionate hair ruffle. The stuck their tongues out at Karma.

He laughed. "I doubt that either of you could touch a hair on my body let alone the shit on my shoes."

Fia kissed the twins' cheeks. "Don't doubt their skills, Karma. They even took _Papi_ out last year."

"He was supposed to win for me!" Lupe whined. She pouted for a few moments before the signs of a brilliant idea blossomed on her face. "Karma, if I win, will you marry me?"

The redhead sighed. "Not likely. But if I'm going to make bets, I should at least know what we're doing."

* * *

Karma watched his breath condensate as he exhaled. The Timo yard was huge. Did they really own all this land?

Fia laughed and, as if reading his mind, quickly explained. "When you don't want to be discovered or questioned, it pays to have a lot of space to yourself." She picked up her rifle and moved to crouch down behind a large stack of flour bags.

He sighed. All of the Timo family seemed to following Fia's example, but he didn't understand how painting with paintballs was seen by them as competitive, dangerous, and exciting. There had to be something more… Something no one was telling him.

A shot rang out and soon, the canvas boards lined up several feet away were soon covered in colorful splatters. Each member of the group inspected their, and each other's, work with care. Florence had created a golden, shattered moon. She stood quietly by as she polished her pistol on her dress. By contrast, Giovanni had blasted a huge orange sun with straight, reaching streaks of light onto his canvas board. He threw his machine gun of a paintball gun over his broad shoulders and beamed. Lupe had painted a lemony-yellow dress and Gio had attempted to paint a pink blazer. He blushed and threw his gun down on the ground, only to have it go off and shoot him in the foot. Angrily yelling, he hopped around in pain. The twins snickered and looked at their paintings. They had created two halfs of the same bleeding purple crown. It screamed a "we will own you all" attitude. Fia's painting was one of a green rabbit sleeping peacefully under the stars. She smiled at her painting and then to Karma.

"What did you paint - " she began to ask but she deadpanned as soon as she saw his canvas board. It was just a huge red target, with the name Timo written directly over the center of it.

He smirked and shot a smug grin at the family. Seven pairs of eyes filled with bloodlust focused on him.

Giovanni shook his head with a dark smile. "That's a declaration of war, if I ever saw one. LET THE EXHIBITION BEGIN!"

Two violet paintballs went flying and hit the painted rabbit over its eye and heart. As if the painting were dying, the canvas fell backwards with a loud creak and hit the ground.

"MY RABBIT!" Fia cried in dismay.

Mio and Mia shot her sadistic glances then turned their gaze on Karma as if to say "you're next." They raised their rifles but pink and yellow paintballs whizzed past their faces. The twins stood back to back, hoping to protect all of their fronts.

Karma raised his own paintball rifle but he was tackled and dragged behind one of the flour stacks by Fia. She held her hand over his mouth and held him close to her body as she cautiously peeked out from behind the flour stack.

"Okay, they're distracted," she whispered as she released Karma.

His cheeks were slightly pink and he looked annoyed. "What was that for?"

Fia ignored him and began pulling something over his head.

"Hey!" he shouted as he pushed Fia away.

"Don't be so loud!" she sighed. "Just put your armor on." Fia attempted to pull the vest over Karma's head once again.

This time, he complied and began equipping the protective gear. Satisfied, Fia began pulling off her clothes, revealing that she was already wearing her protective gear underneath them. Karma surmised that the rest of the family would be properly equipped as well. He pushed himself into a crouching position and crawled over to where Fia was keeping watch. Her gaze was serious and found its way to meet Karma's.

"This - " she smiled " - is the Exhibition. The painting was just a warm up."

"So how do I win?" Karma asked.

"You watch your own back and make sure that no one lands a fatal hit," Fia explained. Suddenly, she laughed.

"What's got you so hyped up all of a sudden?"

"I just realized that this is the first year in a long while that I might actually have a partner," she said.

Karma glanced around at the raging battlefield and realized that Fia was the only person without a natural counterpart. Giovanni was blasting the field with his monster machine gun while his wife sharply shot to drive their victims towards Giovanni's line of fire. The twins were one natural unit whose movements were completely fluid and united. Gio and Lupe, although they were arguing with each other, seemed to have complete confidence that the other would have their back.

"What makes you think I'll partner up with you?" Karma questioned Fia with an arrogant smile. "Who's not to say that I don't want that victory all to myself~? And, why should I trust you? I might recall you saying that you wanted payback."

Fia's face changed from contemplative to serious. "And I will have my payback, but I'm a partner who will always be on your side." She turned to check her ammo, leaving Karma feeling like he'd been through this before. Still, he knew that Fia wasn't likely to up and die on him like Ono had. That fucking bastard.

"Alright," he relented, "let's see what you can do."

Fia beamed at Karma. She held up a grenade filled with green and red paintballs. "I was hoping you'd say 'yes'," she admitted with a happy blush. "Why don't we put my family into the... holiday spirit?"

Karma took the grenade from her and pulled the pin as he laughed. "Ho-ho-ho. I didn't think you would be joining me on the naughty list this year, Fia."

She gave him a pointed look. "Oh, please. As if you're the only one who ever acts out." Fia slipped the rounded pin onto her pinky finger as if to promise him that she'd do her best as his partner. "I'm warning you now - Gio is likely to have an automatic attached to a remote-controlled car and the twins have likely set up land mines."

Karma grinned as he tossed the grenade from hand-to-hand. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

Fia flinched as cold water sprayed her face from a hose. "KARMA!" she tried to yell but her face was sprayed with water again. "C-can you hose m-me down n-normally?! T-That's fricking c-c-cold!" She shivered under the dying rays of the sun.

The redhead smirked. "Nah, I missed a spot." He sprayed her face again.

"KARMA!" She snatched the hose from him and sprayed him instead. "H-how do you l-like it!" she shouted through chattering teeth.

A ticked off expression gracing his face, he lunged for the hose. The two fell to the ground and began wrestling for it, only succeeding in getting each other muddy and smearing the paint splattered on their clothing.

"Would you two stop fondling each other so the rest of us can use the house?" Gio grumbled as he stood over the two.

It took Fia a few moments to realize that she was straddling Karma. Red rose up her neck and to her ears. Cheeks blazing red, she shook her head profusely. "IT WASN'T LIKE THAT!"

Karma laughed and, while the girl was distracted, switched their positions. "You're such a terrible liar~" he teased.

"DON'T GIVE HIM THE WRONG IMPRESSIONS, KARMA!" she cried.

The redhead laughed as he grabbed the hose and began misting her face with a rainbow of water. She scowled and flailed at him to no avail. He was about to change the setting from mist to jet when the hose was snatched out of his hand by a smaller one.

Lupe tapped her foot impatiently. "Fia, you need to cook now. We're hungry," she demanded. Lupe waited until Fia scrambled to her feet and ran inside, still dripping and flustered. She turned back to Karma and put her hands on her hips. "I won, so you have to marry me."

Karma sweat-dropped. "Hey, Buzzkill, I never agreed to your terms and you can hardly call that a win."

"YEAH!" the twins called from where they were cleaning themselves off with the second hose.

Mia pouted. "Who attaches a volley of grenades to the roof?!"

Mio sighed. "How did you even get those up there anyway?"

"I had my lackee do it," Lupe responded flatly.

Gio scowled. "DO I LOOK LIKE A LACKEE TO YOU?!"

"Yeah, kind of," she admitted.

"W-well," his face flushed, "at the very least I'd never be YOUR lackee!"

The two stuck their tongues out at each other and angrily huffed. Disregarding them both, Karma stood and shook the water out of his hair. He brushed himself off and went back inside the house where he found Fia flitting about the kitchen. Karma wandered in and grabbed a rag before wiping some purple paint off of her cheek. Fia flinched back, pain emanating from the welt that was left there.

"Thanks," she said with a strained smile as she turned back to cooking.

"You're welcome~" two voices chimed together. Mio and Mia had just gotten back.

Fia shot them a dirty look. "I'm just glad Karma took you both out in one shot. Call it karma for only aiming for my ass last year!" She cringed outwardly.

They laughed. "Gotta aim for the biggest target," they stuck their tongues out.

"Hey!" Fia's cheeks reddened, even as the twins disappeared into their rooms.

Karma snickered as he surveyed the kitchen. "Can I help?"

She smiled appreciatively at him. "That would be great."

"Do you always do this?" he asked as he coaxed the ladle out of her hand.

"Do what?" Fia tilted her head. "You mean doing all of the cooking?"

"And cleaning, and taking out the trash, and washing the dishes, and doing the laundry. You haven't stopped, even since coming home."

She laughed nervously. "Well… Haven does the dishes back at the apartment - "

He poked her forehead. "It's called a break for a reason."

Fia shook her head. "I've done this for as long as I can remember."

Karma raised an eyebrow. "What about your mother? Although, I guess I'm not one to talk about that."

She lowered the heat on the stove and smiled ruefully. "My mom took my brother's death and my sister's leaving pretty hard… Besides, I don't mind." Fia smiled at Karma cheerfully. "Will you pass the thyme?"

"Sure, I'll spend time with you, so long as you keep me entertained~" Karma teased as he handed her the container of thyme.

"Oh, ha-ha." Fia jabbed at the orange paint splatter over Karma's chest. "Orange you glad I'm around?"

Laughter echoed throughout the kitchen and resounded throughout the quiet home.

* * *

The Timos, plus an Akabane, sat around the kitchen table where they'd played poker only a little while before. The atmosphere was very animated as everyone tried to get their opinion in about the Exhibition match.

"I'm proud of you two for being key strategists," Florence smiled at Gio and Lupe. Gio looked especially pleased with himself. "Fia, thank you for the food as usual."

Giovanni laughed as he shoved a slice of bread into his mouth. "How'd you learn how to shoot like that?" he asked Karma.

" _Por favore,_ don't talk with your mouth full," Florence sighed as she brushed the bread crumbs away from Giovanni's mouth. He smiled at her dotingly and nuzzled her affectionately. She smiled and pushed him away gently. "You're an idiot," Florence said.

"But you love me~!" he responded cheerfully.

Karma laughed and twirled the knife between his fingers. "Oh, it was just something I picked up," he smiled smugly. "I once hurt a target moving at mach 20," his smiled radiated with arrogance.

"That sounds stupid," Gio spat as he poked at his food.

"Don't say anything mean about my prince," Lupe mumbled. "Why didn't I get to sit next to him?"

Mio and Mia exchanged bored expressions from where they were sitting on either side of Karma. "Because we're keeping him from making the move on Fia."

Fia blushed. "I can handle myself!"

"That's not what the hose would tell you," Gio smirked.

"What happened with the hose?" Florence asked with slight interest.

"N-nothing!" Fia protested.

Karma laughed. "Oh, nothing much, except your daughter really isn't cut out for wrestling."

"It sounds like you're a man of many abilities," Giovanni said slowly. "I have the mind to figure out who you really are."

It dawned on Karma that Fia might not have told her family about Nagisa and his occupation. He didn't know how she was able to keep anything from them, but he sent her a slight, appreciative nod before grinning devilishly at her father.

"Well, I would tell you to ask the boss of one of Japan's formerly leading yakuzas, but, as fate would have it, I might have taken him out. I guess you're out of luck, Mr. Timo." Karma stabbed the knife into the table.

"Yakuza, you say?" Giovanni lowered his eating utensils. "I'm sure you are aware of my history, Karma. It reminds me of the time my brother and I alone took out scores of soldiers while we were in Rome. The Colosseum is _magnifico_ , a true place to meet _La Morte Signora_."

The Timo children all looked at each other and then between Giovanni and Karma.

"Oh, really? Lady Death herself? We have one of those, her name is Ms. Bitch." He stifled a laugh as Fia stiffened beside him. "Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of sniping. I like to fight up-close and personal. That way, you can see the light leave their eyes and hear the last of their screams run from their throats."

Giovanni grinned. "Unless their windpipe is crushed underfoot, that is~"

Florence sighed. "Giovanni, don't scare the children."

Mio and Mia jumped up. "No way! You're not robbing us of our cultural heritage!"

Fia's face hit the table as she groaned.

Karma laughed. "So you know the feeling?" he asked Giovanni with a piqued interest.

Lupe looked up at her mother. "Didn't you kill people too?" she asked with a seemingly innocent smile.

Florence slowly lowered her fork from her lips. "Well, yes. It's actually how I met your father. I was trying to kill him."

Giovanni gave her a puppy-love expression. "And I, her~!"

Karma smiled. "So, you're all fighters, bred and born."

The older man scratched at his stubble and chuckled. "I guess you could say that. What's your preferred weapon?"

The redhead looked up to the ceiling to think for a moment before answering. "Anything that gets the job done," he said coyly. "Now if only Fia would lend me her wicked chemistry skills - "

Fia raised her head from the table and rubbed at the red mark that had formed on her forehead. "I'm not going to make poisons for you!" she shouted. After a moment, she added, "Unless you really need it…"

Giovanni laughed. "That's a great attitude to have. I like your work ethic, kid."

Fia dead-panned. "WHAT ETHICS?!"

Karma feigned hurt and Florence clucked her tongue at her daughter. "Don't be rude to our guest, Fia."

"He intruded…" she muttered but nodded slowly. "Yes, _Mami_ …"

The twins both stepped up to protect their sister. "If you want, Fia, we can string him up while he's sleeping and throw him in the pond."

Fia smiled regretfully. "I appreciate the thought, but Karma is still my friend."

"Your boyfriend?" Gio asked.

She sweat-dropped. "Why do you always assume that?!" she asked in a fluster.

Giovanni laughed. "Well, he's handsome, I'll give him that."

Fia turned red. " _PAPI!"_

" _Che cosa_? I wouldn't mind letting him into the family - "

"You're kidding, right?!" Fia covered her face in her hands. "He's the king of bad behavior!"

Lupe pouted. "If he's going to be part of the family, it's going to be through marrying me!" she declared.

Karma laughed. "Thanks for the invitation, don, but I think I'll pass. Still, you're cooler than I gave you credit for."

Giovanni grinned. "I'm glad to hear it. Tell me more about the yakuza boss."

He smiled wolfishly. "Well, the story begins with chopsticks, fish, and a bottle of sake - "

The rest of dinner passed quickly and cheerfully as Karma spun his tale. When it was over, the family dispersed and he was left alone with Fia in the kitchen as she piled the dishes in the sink. He sauntered over and began rinsing the plates for her without being asked.

"You're awfully quiet," he noted as he placed a plate on the drying rack.

She looked up at him. "Did you really stick chopsticks up his nose?" she asked with morbid curiosity.

"You don't believe me?" Karma asked teasingly.

"I just can't believe he fell for that!" she laughed. After a few moments of silence, Fia giggled. She received a questioning look from Karma. "It looks like a milkshake!" she declared as she raised a cup full of bubbles up to his face.

"You're real silly, you know that?" Karma exhaled quickly and bubbles flew into Fia's face.

"Hey!" she laughed as she smacked him with a dish towel.

Karma smiled as Fia turned back to the dishes. He liked the way she seemed to admire the simple things. Fia was holding the clean glass up to the light to admire the refraction in the water.

"Fia!" several voices called. The twins rushed into the kitchen and clung to Fia from behind. "Won't you stay with us?" they whined.

Fia laughed. "Aren't you a little bit old to be asking me to sleep with you?"

"Not just us," they protested. "Gio and Lupe too! We want to have a big sleepover in the living room! Please, we're going back to boarding school in two days!"

"Alright, alright. But you guys have to make the pillow fort."

The twins double high-fived and ran off, calling "You got it, Sis!"

Karma smiled and put the last of the glasses onto the drying rack. "Hey, Fia, is there anyway to keep your sister from molesting me in my sleep?"

She laughed. "I'll try my best." Fia shyly tugged on Karma's sleeve. "Thanks for a fun day, Karma. I'm glad you were my partner."

"Don't you mean 'are'?" he asked as he pinched her cheek. "We are going to be working together, you know. Your first practice run is going to be here before you know it. You scared~?"

Fia brushed his hand away. "Of course not. You're going to be there. Nagisa and Haven too," she smiled happily. "Sleep tight, partner! Don't let the Timos bite~." Fia left and returned to her bedroom to change.

Karma pulled a grenade ring from his pocket and spun it on his finger. Only one thing left to do. He found Lupe sitting on the couches in the living room and sat down beside her.

"Hey, Lupe." He sat down next to her and tossed her the grenade ring. "I came here to give you that, but I won't marry you," Karma said bluntly. "There's a lot of reasons for me to say 'no' but you probably have an excuse ready for every last one of them, so I'll just say you're not my type and we'll call it a night, alright?"

"I know," Lupe said flatly. "I was never expecting you to say 'yes,' and I'm not going to give up, but I don't mind that you like my sister."

Karma smirked. "I do like to tease her."

The small child shook her head. "You guys are really dense. Watch out for Mio and Mia. They're like you; they love to torture Fia, but they're most protective of her since they love her most," Lupe said pointedly. "Anyway, if you ever get tired of Fia, I'll be waiting." Before the redhead could retaliate in his slight annoyance, the pigtailed girl was already skipping down the hall to her room. "Fia~! Braid my hair!"

"YOU BEDAZZLED MY BRUSH?!" Fia exclaimed in horror.

"Yup!" Lupe giggled.

"You couldn't have at least made it green?" Fia cried in dismay as the door shut.

Karma ran his hand through his hair and shook his head, opting to get some sleep while he could. Knowing the Timo family, everyone would be bustling with energy before they knew it.

* * *

He was glad to have gotten as much sleep as possible. If Friday gave Karma whiplash, Saturday was breaking his neck. He looked from the pajama-clad Timo siblings down to the stupid black fleece pajamas they had coerced him into. The shirt read "I'm a cuddler," but Karma was definitely ready to stab anyone who tried to touch him.

"What am I doing here, again?" Karma asked Fia.

She shrugged and pulled her green, white-polka-dot-patterned shirt back onto her shoulders. "Bonding?"

He sighed. "Do you want to switch? That is obviously too big for you."

Fia laughed. "But your shirt suits you so much more!"

Karma's expression darkened. "Listen here, I - "

"Ready~?" The twins clapped their hands together. "Let the fun, Timo-plus-an-idiot super sleepover begin!"

"Who are you calling an idiot?!" Karma yelled.

Lupe ran in, carrying a box of nail polish and hair clips.

"You have got to be kidding me," he spat.

Fia sweat-dropped. "I wish I were."

Gio cleared his throat. "We will commence the night with a game of Truth-or-Dare and a round of manicures, courtesy of Lupe.

"That's it, I'm leaving." Karma tried to stand but he found Fia and the twins latched onto his legs. Their expressions begged and begged like kicked puppies. "Fine! But if even a drop of that nail polish touches me, you WILL have a PROBLEM!" he growled threateningly before begrudgingly sitting back down.

"Fia, Truth or Dare?"

She hummed in thought. "Truth," Fia replied happily.

"It's not like she could lie anyway," Karma said snarkily. Everyone else laughed and she punched his arm.

Gio smiled sadistically. "Have you ever thought about sleeping with Karma?"

The girl's race cherried. "I-I m-meant dare!" she stuttered.

Gio, Mio, Mia, and Lupe all jumped up at once. "I DARE YOU TO TELL US!"

" _Dio_ , why?!" Fia blushed profusely.

"Now I'm curious too, Tsu-chan," Karma dragged the nickname across his tongue to aggravate Fia even further.

Fia found herself surrounded by six encroaching faces. " _Papino?_ YOU TOO?!" she cried in dismay.

Giovanni nodded vigorously. "My precious little daughter - "

"Kids only!" Gio shouted.

His father pouted. "But Fia and Karma are both in their 20s already," he protested.

"But they're not old like you!" Lupe frowned.

"And they're not parents!" the twins continued. "Parents aren't allowed. Shoo!"

"They aren't parents, _yet_ ," Florence called out as she passed by.

Fia's face flushed again. " _M-Mami!_ " She covered her face with her hands as her siblings forced her father into retreating.

"He's no better than Koro-sensei when to comes to this gossiping stuff," Karma sighed.

"O-once…" Fia whispered. The room fell silent and turned towards her.

"WAIT, SO YOU MEAN YOU'VE ACTUALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT?! PERV!" Gio yelled.

"You're in trouble now, Akabane!" the twins prepared to attack Karma.

"What did I do?" the redhead asked. His cheeks were slightly red. "Seriously, Fia?"

"You cheated on me!" Lupe shouted accusingly.

"We were never a thing!" Karma snapped.

Fia tried to scoot away inconspicuously but was grabbed by several pairs of hands. "Gyah! IT WAS HIS FAULT FOR ASKING!"

"NOW YOU'RE REALLY GONNA GET IT, AKABANE!" Mio and Mia jumped on Karma.

"When did I do that?!" he demanded.

"When you crawled into my bed at who-knows-what-time in the morning!" Fia yelled back.

Gio looked like he was about to be sick. "YOU DISGUST ME!"

Lupe began jumping up and down and cheering. "Yeah! You beat him up - but leave his face alone! Mio! Mia!"

Karma managed to sit on the twins and pin the terrors down. "Ohh. That's what you meant. I didn't know you were going to take it so seriously - "

Fia shot him a dirty look. "I WASN'T THINKING ABOUT IT IN THAT WAY!" She pouted. "I'm used to sleeping next to someone so, when you offered, I-I thought it would be nice…" Her cheeks were scarlet as she quietly confessed. "S-so can everyone just calm down already?! I already said it wasn't like that!"

Begrudgingly, all of the Timo siblings took their respective spots on the floor again.

"That isn't exciting…" Gio muttered.

Fia face-palmed. "Weren't you the one who was yelling about how wrong it is?"

The boy turned up his nose and passive aggressively ignored her. "Karma, truth or dare?"

Karma smirked. "Dare. Hit me with your best shot, shorty."

"I dare you to kiss Fia!" an array of voices shouted together.

The redhead laughed as Fia worked herself up into another fit next to him.

"SERIOUSLY?! THAT'S IT! WE'RE PLAYING ANOTHER GAME!"

"Two-player seven minutes in heaven?"

"Two-player spin the bottle?"

"Two-player nervous game?"

Fia stood and put her hands on her hips. "No more games!"

"But, Fiiiiiiaaaaaa!" Even Karma joined in on that one.

"I said no more games!" She huffed in a fluster. "How about we watch a movie instead?" she suggested with a gentler tone.

"How about a romance film between an angry Italian and sadistic Japanese man?"

" _CAZZO!"_

* * *

The redhead groaned as light hit his face. He rolled over the bury his face in his pillow but the clinking of the curtain rings had stopped, which only meant one thing. An orange eye opened lazily and made contact with olive ones.

"Good morning, Karma," Fia said quietly.

"What time is it?" he grumbled.

Hands on her hips, she poured sass into her words. "Time for you to get up."

"What time is it?" he repeated with growing displeasure.

Fia sighed and crouched down to be at eye-level with him. "It's already almost noon. You slept through breakfast."

Karma slowly sat up and yawned. He ran his hand through his hair but it didn't seem like the fiery locks wanted to be tamed any time soon. Pulling back the covers, he swung his feet over the edge of the bed. "Noon, huh? Is it me or is your house really quiet?"

"We were up late telling stories after you left," she admitted with a laugh. Lupe and Gio went back to sleep after breakfast and the twins went on a walk. I think they switched outfits again… Either way, we finally have some peace and quiet. Do you have a minute?"

Karma smiled. "Well, I'm already here. Shoot."

Fia climbed onto the bed and sat beside Karma. "Thanks for being a good sport with my family. I know they can be a little overwhelming."

"You're thanking me?" his voice sounded both skeptical and incredulous.

Fia shifted uncomfortably and nodded slowly, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Whatever the reason you intruded," she began, "I really appreciate you being here. The kids really seem to like you."

"What can I say? You have an entertaining family." Karma smiled.

"Chaotic, more like. But then again, you thrive off of that, don't you?" Fia teased.

He smirked. "I invented chaos."

The two laughed and sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before Fia turned to face Karma. "Um... " she bit her lip. "Will you be honest with me? What do you think… of my family?"

Karma raised an eyebrow. "I think you're all off your rockers in the best of ways."

She shook her head. "I'm being serious, Karma."

He rubbed the back of his head as he looked away to think. "Well… I think your family is rowdy and loud, but really loyal, which is cool. It's awesome that your dad is open about his past kills. Maybe I'll learn something from the old man." Karma laughed. "You do and you don't break some Italian stereotypes."

"How so?" Fia asked, curiosity lighting her eyes.

"For starters, you all talk with exaggerated hand motions, whether or not you realize that. You also seem to have quite the wine collection. On the other hand, you don't only eat pizza and pasta, and you really don't know when to quit. I'm not sure what your driving is like but there is one stereotype I'm still curious about."

Fia tucked her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. "What is it? Maybe I can help."

Karma leaned in close to her face, very much like he did on the first day they met. He whispered slyly, "Tell me, Tsu-chan, are Italians really the best lovers?"

"HUH?!" Fia's face exploded with color as she fell forwards and off the bed in surprise.

Karma laughed happily as he helped the girl back onto the bed. Notably, she had doubled the distance between them.

"Aw, Tsu-chan. Why are you sitting so far away?"

Fia ransacked her brain for any sort of comeback. "I-is it true th-that Asians a-are small?!" she blurted. "Stereotypes a-are o-only s-stereotypes!" she shouted in flustered frustration.

Karma snickered. "You want to find out?"

She couldn't get any redder but if she could, she would have, even as she started hitting Karma with his pillow. "SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!"

Karma grabbed Fia's wrists and looked at her in concern. "Hold on, Fia." She tried struggling but he held her in place. "Fia," he said more seriously.

The girl took a second to calm down. "W-what?"

He released her wrists and touched a red bump on Fia's temple. "Does it hurt?"

"A-A little… But it should be fine. Thick skull, remember?" she laughed dryly as she knocked on her own head.

Karma shook his head and gently ruffled the girl's hair. "If you say so."

"You said so first!" she pouted in protest.

"You got me there," he laughed. After awhile, he turned to look at Fia, who was curled up again and staring intently at him. "It's nice to have a place where I can express whatever I want," he admitted, "I didn't think I was going to get another chance since Class 3-E."

She smiled softly and rested her cheek on her chin. "You can always talk to me. I'm not the best conversationalist, but I like to think that I'm a good listener."

"Then are you willing to hear me say I'm about ready to head back to campus?"

Fia laughed. "I think Bacio and I will join you. I can only handle so much Timo at a time."

Karma smiled. "Ready to go home?"

Fia nodded. "I'm ready to go home."

* * *

Karma: (laughing)

Fia: I-it wasn't th-that funny!

Karma: You're still pink. All you had to do was give him your bus pass.

Fia: H-he talked to m-me…

Karma: To compliment Bacio -

Fia: (blushes) He thought I w-was a h-high schooler…!

Karma: Not many people carry around stuffed animals. You're really attached to that thing, aren't you?

Fia: That 'thing' is my guinea pig! Bacio is a he, thank you very much. He's comforting…!

Nagisa: Oh, you're back!

Haven: Tsu-chan! I can use the microwave now!

Fia: (hugs Haven) So what did I miss? I was really worried when that thing showed up at my house.

(After Nagisa and Haven explained the less embarrassing things that they had been up to while she was gone.)

Fia: YOU NEARLY KILLED MY BEST FRIEND?!

Karma: I didn't know that Haven was allergic.

Fia: And I missed Ven getting pregnant?! (cross, pouty face)

Haven: I still can't believe you guys thought it was me.

Nagisa: Well, the cavy hasn't given birth yet.

Fia: Still! … Hey, Karma, where are you going?

Karma: To get some sleep.

Fia: You were sleeping all day!

Karma: Doesn't mean I'm not still tired after that long weekend -

Fia: You think you're tired?

Nagisa: What did you two end up doing anyway?

Fia: (blushes) Oh, you know, things…

Karma: What about you, Nagisa? Did anything heat up once I left? (suggestive smile)

Nagisa: (blushes) No! Nothing like that!

Karma: And after all the trouble I went to getting you two alone…

Fia: What about heating up?

Nagisa: H-He means the food you left for us! Thank you for that, by the way.

Fia: No, problem! I'm sorry about the mustard, Haven…

Haven: It's not your fault. It's his (accusingly pointing at Karma).

Narrator: Wow, that was a long weekend. In the next chapter, winter wonderland or frostbitten nightmare? Temperatures will definitely be rising, in more ways than one?

Giovanni: To answer your question, Karma. Italians are -

Fia: (turns red) _PAPI!_ Can we not?!

Giovanni: I was going to say, "Italians are individualistic drivers." What were you thinking, _mia bambina?_

Fia: N-Nothing! JUST GET OUT OF HERE!

Giovanni: Oh! (Suggestive smile) Let me tell you -

Fia: I will call _Mami!_

Giovanni: (sweat-drops) Oh, look at the time - I've got to run! Until next time, lovely readers! _Ciao!_


	17. Chapter 17: Fever Time

A few days after Fia had returned from her family, it snowed again.

"I wish Angel would come out here and enjoy the snow," Fia sighed as she began making a snowman.

"I could get her out here," Karma smirked and formed a snowball. He aimed for and hit the window right next to Haven's head. The sudden noise caused her to fall out of her chair in surprise.

She opened the window. "AKABANE!" she yelled before slamming the window shut and disappearing deeper into the apartment.

Fia dead-panned. "That's not what I meant, Karma!" She rushed over to him with a concerned expression. "What are you thinking?"

Karma grinned. "And 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."

Haven came stomping out of the building in winter attire and a very annoyed expression on her face. She started chasing Karma around, trying to pelt him with snowballs. All of which he dodged easily. They chased each other around the lake next to the apartment complex.

Fia sighed and did her best to shuffle through the slush after them. "Hey! Be careful!" she shouted. "It's slippery!"

Suddenly, Karma lost his footing on a patch of ice. He grabbed onto the first thing he could reach, which happened to be Haven's coat. The two of them went rolling down the hill and into the lake with a splash. Fia and a group of bystanders went rushing to the lake's edge and waited for the two to emerge.

"Haven?! Karma?!" Fia carefully stepped around the icy shoreline and called to her friends.

Karma popped up first, gasping for breath.

Fia rushed over and extended her hand to him. She pulled him onto more stable ground, punched his arm as hard as she could muster, and then hugged him tightly for a few moments before gently wrapping her scarf around his frigid body. "Wait here," Fia said as she trotted back to the shore to search for Haven. Biting her lip, she sent out a silent prayer. "Haven, where are you…?"

After what seemed like an eternity, the surface of the lake broke again. Haven's white head began bobbing towards the shoreline. Fia helped her friend onto the shore. Fia couldn't decide if Haven's quivering was due to the cold or rage. Even so, Fia pulled off her coat and draped it over the smaller girl's shoulders.

Karma definitely seemed annoyed but he forced his shivering body to move closer to the girls. "Fia, she doesn't need that. She's an ice queen anyway," Karma snarled.

Fia frowned and turned both of her friends around. Pushing them from behind, Fia began herding them home. "C'mon, we have to get you guys back as quickly as possible." She waved good-bye to the crowd of bystanders as if to tell them that everything was going to be okay. She hoped it would be anyway.

"This is all your fault!" Haven pouted as she pushed Karma into a snow drift.

She turned around and shot them both strict glances. "Can you two leave each other alone?" she sighed exasperatedly. "I just want to get you back before you guys catch colds." Fia pushed open the front door their apartment unit and shook the snow from her body. "Nagisa!" she called. "Can you please come here?"

The bluenette came running when he heard his housemate calling. He looked from the girl without a jacket to the two who had ice forming on their skin and clothing. "What happened?" Nagisa asked as he helped the two icicles inside.

"They fell into the lake," Fia sighed. "We need to get them into dry clothes and warm them up." With that, she grabbed Haven's hand and began dragging her back towards their bedroom. "C'mon, Angel. We can thaw your feet out later."

Nagisa turned to Karma but the redhead was already stomping his way back to their bedroom on his own. Sighing, Nagisa followed.

* * *

The two sick patients were situated on opposite couches in the living room. A good idea, right? NO! The two bickered like there was no tomorrow, making their voices weaker and health worse by the second.

"At least I can cook," Karma coughed.

"For your information, I can safely use a microwave now!" Haven retorted as she sniffled.

"Wooow, I'm so impressed," Karma said sarcastically. He grabbed another tissue from Nagisa and blew his nose. "Ugh…"

Nagisa shook his head. He was sitting in a chair between the couches so that he could pass tissues to whoever needed them, but the mediator part of this job was harder than he'd expected. Then again, it was Haven and Karma that he was sitting in between. "Um… I think Fia's making some soup," Nagisa commented, hoping to change the subject.

"At least it won't have mustard in it," Haven snapped.

"You're still holding on to that? Talk about a major grudge," his voice was becoming more and more nasally by the moment. "You got a decongestant, Nagisa?"

He nodded and pulled it out of Fia's first-aid bag at his feet. Passing the container to Karma, Nagisa turned to see how Fia was doing in the kitchen. She seemed preoccupied with making a hearty chicken stew.

"You sure there'll be anything left in your head after you use that?" Haven coughed and grabbed her computer, which was lying only a few inches from her.

"Ha, that's funny coming from you, tremble-hands," Karma growled.

Nagisa shot his friend a look. "Karma!" he whispered harshly. Sighing, Nagisa put a thermometer in Karma's mouth, both to take his temperature and silence him.

"At least I still have brain cells," Haven replied as she began typing on her computer, or at least trying to. Due to the fatigue of being sick and freezing earlier, she wasn't able to steady either of her hands. She growled in frustration and shut her computer, slightly harder than usual. After placing it on the table, she rolled over and curled into a ball, pulling the blanket up over her head.

"Dinner's ready! I'll bring over the bowls in just a few moments!" Fia proclaimed from the kitchen. She brought over three bowls of the stew and distributed them among those in the room.

Nagisa smiled as he accepted the bowl. "Thank you, Fia. What about you?" he asked with concern. "Don't run yourself ragged."

Fia shook her head with a smile. "I'll eat soon," she promised. Fia shuffled over to Haven. "Hey, Angel, do you want to eat…?" she asked tentatively. She gently pat Haven's head through the blanket. "It should help with the fever."

Haven uncurled and motioned for Fia to place it on the table. She did so and walked over to make sure Karma was eating. Haven picked up the spoon and tried to ladle some broth into her mouth. She put the spoon down and sighed.

"Haven?" Nagisa asked with a concerned expression. Haven looked at the soup bowl, then the spoon next to it, then her shaking hands.

"Fia, could you get me a straw?" Haven mumbled.

She smiled regretfully at Haven and mouthed "we don't have any. Need some help?" Fia gestured her head towards their room, where they could at least speak freely.

Haven sighed and nodded almost unnoticeably. Nagisa went over and picked up the spoon. After ladling out some soup, he brought the spoon up to her lips, cupping his free hand underneath to catch any falling drops.

"Here," he mouthed with a soft smile. Haven sipped it and gave him a small, embarrassed smile of gratitude.

"Aren't you two cute?" Karma called teasingly.

Nagisa brought the spoon up to her lips again. Besides a slight blush from both of them, they ignored Karma's comment.

"Can't even eat on your own, can you?" Karma taunted. In his feverish state, all semblance of a filter had disappeared.

"Karma," Nagisa shot his friend a severe look as Haven pulled the blanket over her face and curled into a ball again. "Just eat your soup," Nagisa sighed and went to see if he could coax Haven out of her blanket enough to finish eating.

Karma threw his thermometer at Nagisa and begrudgingly sipped at his soup. Suddenly, Karma doubled-over in a violent coughing fit. He tried to put the bowl down but his hacking combined with the sudden onslaught of feverish shivering made him lose his grip. The bowl hit the floor and Karma soon followed suit, unable to control his convulsions.

Nagisa read the thermometer as Fia rushed over to Karma's side. "103.7 degrees?!" he said incredulously. As soon as Karma's coughing had subsided into shortness of breath, Nagisa attempted to help Karma back onto the couch. Haven peeked out from underneath her blanket, a worried expression on her face.

Fia frowned and ran to get a bucket of cool water and a few washcloths. She kneeled down beside Karma and gently dabbed at the sweat on his forehead before lightly laying the folded, cool washcloths on his forehead and neck.

Karma hissed at the sudden icy feeling and attempted to throw the towels off of him. Fia swatted his hands away and tried to properly situate the towels once again. Annoyed, Karma threw Fia off of him and shakily stood up. Tossing the towels onto the floor, Karma staggered towards his bedroom. His coughing seemed to rattle his body and become more extreme by the minute.

Fia slowly pushed herself up from where she found herself on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Nagisa asked Fia as he offered her a hand.

She hung her head and silently accepted his help. Fia stood sluggishly and rubbed her sides, hoping that they wouldn't bruise. "I'm fine…" Olive eyes met light blue ones. "I just… Can you please make sure that he's okay?" she pleaded quietly.

Nagisa nodded and quickly followed Karma.

Fia forced a strained smile. "Angel, want to head back to our room too…?"

The blanket got up and started walking unsteadily to the girls' bedroom. Fia, carrying Haven's bowl of stew, followed Haven and the two took seats next to each other on Haven's bed. Haven was rolled up in a ball with the blanket covering her face. After awhile of trying to coax Haven into coming out of her cotton shell and getting her to eat, Fia sighed and shuffled across the hall.

"Nagisa?" Fia called quietly into the boys' shared bedroom.

The bluenette quickly appeared at the door. "He's cranky and won't talk to me, but he's calmed down. How is Haven?" he inquired quietly.

She shook her head and handed him Haven's bowl. "She won't eat. Will you go see if you can talk to her?"

Nagisa looked over his shoulder as Karma began coughing again. "Are you sure you want to be alone with him?"

Fia smiled wryly. "I can handle myself. Thank you, Nagisa."

He nodded. "No problem. I'll do my best." With those words, Nagisa made his way to find Haven and Fia stepped into the daunting room ahead of her.

* * *

Quietly closing the door behind her, Fia sighed. She looked about the room with a wonder-filled expression. The room looked so completely, absolutely average that she almost couldn't believe that two professional assassins lived there. Still, Fia found herself smiling at the Sonic Ninja poster up on the wall and all of the books neatly standing on the wall shelves.

Fia shuffled over the black and red bed that she could only assume was Karma's. "How are you feeling?" she asked in a low voice.

Grumpily, Karma pulled his blanket back slightly and glared at her with a single orange eye.

Fia bit her lip. "I'm not going to force you," she started, "but I really do think it would be good for you to get some food and water in your system." She reached out to him but he pulled the blanket back over his head.

He growled. "Don't touch me."

She shook her head in disappointment. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, go the fuck away," he spat more harshly.

Fia frowned slightly. "I'm not going anywhere," she said quietly but firmly, "so you might as well let me help."

The next couple of minutes were spent with the pair arguing back and forth.

"I just want to help!" Fia sighed exasperatedly. "It hurts me to see you like this!"

"If you don't go, I'll force you to go!" Karma yelled.

"Then try it!" she stomped her foot. "I'll just keep coming back until I know you're on your way to getting better!"

"Why are you being so stubborn?" he shouted.

"I care about you! That's why!"she yelled back. "What about you?!"

Karma broke into another fit of turbulent coughing. Fia, concerned, sat down on the bed beside him and rubbed his back.

"This isn't making you better. Please… Just let me help you…" she begged. Karma heavily leaned against her and weakly nodded. Relief flooded Fia's body as she hugged him tightly. "Thank you…" she whispered hoarsely.

* * *

"Haven," Nagisa called as he approached her bed. The blanket ball moved slightly. He sat on the bed next to her and placed the soup bowl on the nearest table.

"Do you want me to help you with your soup?" Nagisa asked.

"I'm not hungry," Haven's muffled voice replied. Nagisa sighed and looked around the room, thinking of how to get the ill girl to eat.

"Hey, Gisa," the girl began, "would you answer some questions?"

"I'll answer a question if you eat a spoonful of soup," Nagisa replied. Haven removed the blanket from her head and sat up.

"Fine," Haven grumbled as Nagisa got the bowl.

After she had swallowed, she asked, "What do you see in Karma?"

"I know it's hard to see, but if you can motivate him, he can work really hard. He's very confident in himself and very determined about what he wants to do in life. He has been since I met him in middle school. And he really does care for those around him, even if he doesn't show it," Nagisa explained.

Haven sighed reluctantly. She didn't feel like she knew Karma well enough to really assess his personality, so for now, she'd have to trust Nagisa and Fia's judgements.

"Do you know what you want to do with your career?" Haven asked. Nagisa brought another spoonful of broth to her lips. She drank it slowly.

"I really had no idea until the end of middle school. I decided to become a teacher then," Nagisa smiled, "My last middle school teacher was the best I've ever had."

Their conversation continued like that, Haven asking questions and Nagisa answering after she swallowed a spoonful of soup. When the bowl was empty, Nagisa got up to check on Fia and Karma. He had heard several loud noises coming from his room. He was about to leave when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned around to see Haven. Something was slightly different about her.

"Don't leave, Gisa," she said in a voice two octaves higher than before as she pulled him by the arm back to the bed. Nagisa put the bowl down and placed his hand on her forehead. She was burning up. He pulled a thermometer out of his pocket and placed it under her tongue.

"104!? Haven, I'll be right back," Nagisa said calmly as he pried her off of his arm.

"Okay, Gisa! Bye, bye! Come back quickly," she squeaked and began happily bouncing in place on her bed.

Nagisa left the room with the bowl and spoon and came back momentarily with a bucket of cold water and a washcloth.

"I feel fine!" Haven protested as he made her lie down. Nagisa sighed.

"It's cold," she complained as he placed a wet towel on her forehead.

"If you stay here and lie still, I'll keep you company," Nagisa sat on the edge of her bed.

"Okay!" she smiled happily and grabbed hold of his hand. "When I was younger, I got sick a lot," Haven admitted, "Earnest wasn't patient enough to keep me company then."

"Who's Earnest?" Nagisa asked. Haven had been mentioning him quite often recently.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," Haven giggled and gave him a knowing smile. Nagisa sweatdropped and smiled back at her.

* * *

Karma grimaced. "What are you doing…?" he asked between coughs.

Fia removed her forehead from his. "Your temperature isn't going down at all," she said worriedly as she replaced the cool towels on his forehead and neck. "Thank you for eating, at the very least."

He shook his head slowly as he weakly leaned back against the headboard of his bed. "I don't know if I'll be able to keep it down."

She smiled warily. "Let's not let you get dehydrated. Do you think you can drink some water?" Fia asked tentatively.

"Maybe if you give it to me by mouth," he smirked.

Fia shook her head. "If you have the energy to joke around, that has to be a good sign." She held the glass up to his lips so that he could thirstily gulp it down.

"You aren't going to blush?" Karma asked, slightly disappointed.

"Tease me again when you're better. I promise I'll blush for you then." Fia helped Karma to lie down.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he mumbled as he caught a glimpse of the minor bruising forming on her arms.

She shook her head. "It's nothing. Does your head still hurt?"

He sighed. "It's worse than Ms. Bitch's yelling."

"Can I try something?" Fia requested hesitantly.

Karma rolled his eyes. "Would I be able to stop you anyway?"

Fia laughed dryly as she lifted his head and placed it her lap. She gently ran her hand through his hair.

"What are you doing…?" Karma's cheeks reddened. He hoped Fia couldn't tell over his raging fever.

"This used to make me feel better when I was little," she explained. Fia gently massaged his scalp and he groaned softly. "Does that help…?" She asked with slightly pink cheeks.

Karma smiled appreciatively. "Y-yeah… You mind staying like this for awhile while I try to sleep?"

Fia shook her head with a soft, contented expression. "Not at all…"

* * *

Nagisa replaced the towel on a sleeping Haven's forehead. He had managed to convince her to take a pill for the fever before she had fallen asleep. That had been about fifteen minutes ago, but her fever still hadn't gone down. At least she had stopped babbling, that couldn't have been good for her fever.

He sat back down on the edge of the bed and took her hand again. Looking at the sleeping girl's face, he realized they had met only about five months ago and here he was taking care of her like it was the most natural thing in the world. He sighed softly. There was still so much to learn about her though. She didn't give information about herself as often or as easily as he hoped, but from what he did know, he believed she would make a reliable teammate and a good friend. Maybe more than a friend if things went well, but that was a question he'd answer later.

Haven rolled onto her side and the towel fell off of her forehead. Nagisa swept the some hair out of her face replaced the washcloth carefully. Haven mumbled quietly, causing Nagisa to pull back quickly, in fear that he had woken her up.

"Gisa, don't leave," she said softly in her sleep. He went back to his place next to her and placed her hands in his.

"I won't," he whispered back, smiling.

* * *

Fia frowned down at Karma and as she gently ran her hand through his hair. Still feverish, Karma was sweating profusely and shivering intensely. Fia turned over the cold towels resting on his forehead and neck. He reached up from where he was resting on her lap and touched Fia's face.

"I'm the sick one, why are your eyes red and puffy?" Karma's voice was hoarse.

"Isn't there… anything I can do?" Fia bit her lip to distract herself from the pain wrenching her heart into a tight knot. It hurt her to see anyone in pain, but someone she cared about? That was probably the worst torture she could go through.

Karma coughed violently and groaned in pain. "Well…" He forced a strained smile. "That song you sang to your siblings… was really nice…"

Her eyes widened slightly as they met his. Her gaze softened. "Bear with me here," she laughed lightly, "I want to tailor it to you." Fia cleared her throat and began to sing quietly to the tune of 'You are my Sunshine.' The melody filled the room and Karma closed his heavy eyelids to listen.

"You're name is Karma. Stupid Akabane.  
You're a sadistic, teasing jerk  
You never know, man, how much I hate you.  
Angry I am every single day."

"Now you're sick, though, and I've been thinking.  
Maybe you're not so bad yourself.  
I thought, 'Karma, I might be mistaken,'  
So I will sing to you this song."

"You are still Karma. Dumb Akabane.  
I can't help but smile when you're here.  
Despite your teasing, I kind of like you.  
Karma, please get better soon, okay?"

He laughed, although he could hardly speak in his fatigue. "What the hell was that?"

Fia blushed profusely. "Y-you asked for a song, didn't you…?"

Karma smiled. "I guess I did. Would you pass me a tissue?" Fia did as he asked and he blew his nose before discarding it the almost-full trash can next to him.

"You look like Rudolf again," she teased as she poked his stuffy nose.

"You really won't let that go, will you?" Karma smiled bitterly but he grabbed Fia's cheeks and pinched them.

"Nyeh!" Fia grabbed his hands and pulled them off. "Dun do that!" she pouted.

Karma laughed. "Who's red now?"

Fia stuck her tongue out at him. "You're one to talk!"

"That's different. I'm sick, you're just blushing, Tsu-chan~," he chimed.

"A-Am not!" She tried to crush his hands in hers in retaliation but they were stronger than she thought. He pulled on her hands and grabbed her wrists.

"You're still a terrible liar, Fia…" Karma laughed and pulled her closer to him.

Fia blushed tomato-red as her face came closer to Karma's. "K-Karma?!"

He propped himself up on an elbow and leaned towards Fia. Karma rested his cheek against hers as he whispered in her ear, "Thank you, Fia." Slowly lowering his head back into her lap, he released her wrists and closed his eyes.

The girl hesitated to respond and, before she knew it, Karma had fallen asleep. She was really glad that his coughing had subsided and that his fever was slowly lowering. He might actually be able to get some sleep now. "You're welcome…" Fia slowly coaxed Karma's head off of her lap and onto one of his own pillows. She quickly changed his towels one last time and pulled the blanket tighter around him.

Fia sighed softly and tried to push herself onto her feet but her aching body screamed in protest. She glanced at the clock on Karma's nightstand and laughed quietly. The analog clock had knives for hands. She couldn't say she expected anything less from Karma, but she couldn't say she wasn't surprised when she realized how late it had become.

Turning to look at Karma, Fia smiled softly. He looked peaceful, if not a little lonely. Maybe she was just projecting though... She turned off the light and crawled into bed to curl up next to Karma. Nuzzling into his back, Fia smiled drowsily. Karma was warm… A feeling of security settled around Fia as she drifted off and was carried away by a dreamless oblivion.

* * *

Olive eyes fluttered open slowly to the sound of a beating heart. Confused, Fia tried to sit up and look around, but she found herself trapped in Karma's arms. She realized quickly and with horror that she must have rolled closer to Karma in her sleep. Her face flushed.

"Morning, Tsu-chan~," Karma sang. He tightened his grip on the girl. "So you are the perv Gio said you were!"

Fia's cheeks burned as she tried to escape his arms. "I-it wasn't l-like that!"

"Oh, no~?" he teased. "You're even sneakier than Lupe! Pretending to take care of me just to sneak into my bed." Karma laughed as he grabbed Fia's chin. "You shouldn't have said that I could tease you all I wanted when I got better~."

Her neck, face, and ears became scarlet. She tried to respond, make any sort of retort, but she just stuttered and squeaked.

Karma snickered. "Go ahead and keep blushing, Tsu-chan. You promised me that you would."

The fierceness of Fia's scowl could only be rivaled by the fierceness of her glowing face. "S-SCREW YOU!" she finally got out as she smacked his face with a pillow and ran for it.

"Gladly~!" he called after her as he cackled loudly.

Fia began screaming as she ran around the house and looked for a place to hide from Karma's teasing.

Nagisa sighed and smiled. Looks like someone was feeling better again. In her sleep, Haven nestled closer in Nagisa's arms, trying to hide from the noise.

* * *

Karma: (grumbling and scrubbing) Why do I have to clean the carpet?

Nagisa: It was your bowl of soup. Besides, Fia still hasn't come out from the pantry.

Karma: (sweat-dropping) She's still hiding in there?

Fia: (from locked pantry) Nagisa! T-Tell the asshole that I-I don't want to see his stupid face!

Karma: (smirking) Sure, that's why I woke up to your face pressed against mine, right?

Fia: NAGISA! TELL KARMA THAT HE'S STUPID AND A MEANIE!

Karma: What are you? 5?

Nagisa: (sighs) Karma says he'll apologize if you come out.

Karma: Like hell I will!

Nagisa: Who took care of you through the night?

Karma: …

Nagisa: And put up with your arrogant attitude?

Karma: …..

Nagisa: And is bruising -

Karma: Alright, alright! I get it! I'll tell her I'm sorry when -

Fia: (popping out of nowhere) You're forgiven~.

Karma: When did you get here?! (looks from open pantry to Fia)

Fia: (giggles) Not telling~! Hey, Nagisa. You remember our promise? Can we put it to use next time?

Nagisa: (nods with a hesitant smile) Sure thing...

Narrator: (reads over next chapter) Why do I like destroying homes? I mean Fia's backstory isn't completely okay, Haven's family's a mess. Next time things will get hairy for the four housemates. (sigh)

Haven: (walks in with bedhead) What did I miss? (yawn)


	18. Chapter 18: Crash Time

Nagisa, Karma, and Fia stared at each other across the kitchen table.

"Did that make sense?" Fia asked tentatively. "I'm not necessarily trying to set Haven and Benny up, but I really want to give him the chance to tell her how he feels." Now that everyone was feeling better again, she wanted to put her plan into action.

The bluenette bobbed his head. "I understand. I'll try my best and help out in any way I can."

Karma sighed and got out of his seat. "Sure, whatever." He locked his hands behind his head and turned to leave.

"That's it?" Fia blurted involuntarily. "No combativeness today?"

He paused before turning back to face them. "Is this your way of asking me to pay attention to you, Tsu-chan~?" he teased.

Her face flushed. "I-it's not like that!" Fia protested.

"How about this, then?" Karma mused. "I'll tell Haven all about your plans. She would react well, wouldn't she?"

"Y-you wouldn't!" She shot him an accusatory look.

He threw his hands up with a shrug. "You know I would, if I thought it might be of benefit - "

Fia bit her lip in thought. "Fine, what do you want?"

"You could cook whatever I want for the entire week," he smiled, "and you can take over my chores too so that I won't have to do anything at all~."

Fia flushed and put her forehead on the table. "Fine…" she muttered.

Karma slowly exhaled and turned around. "You should have just let me tell Haven…" he whispered. "I'm sorry, Fia."

* * *

Haven walked out of her room in her normal black shirt and tie.

"You can't wear that!" Fia said exasperatedly.

"Why not?" Haven asked, "We're just hanging out with Benny."

"Because … well, because," Fia began. Haven didn't exactly know that this was a date. Her own outfit was pretty casual, but she and Nagisa weren't going to be on an actual date. Fia smiled inwardly, even when she had admitted to Nagisa later that she had no idea what dates were supposed to be like (other than from what she had read in novels), he had reassured her that everything would be okay. Nagisa was supportive, unlike another redheaded jerk she knew. She wouldn't put teasing past Karma. Just thinking about it caused Fia's blood to boil and her ears to grow hot.

Nagisa laughed as he entered the room. He put a hand on Fia's shoulder. "Relax, Fia. Everything's going to be okay. We're going to get those two to be closer, right?"

Fia calmed herself and nodded at Nagisa. "Right! Thanks for your help."

"I don't mind at all. I just want Haven to be happy," he answered, smiling to himself.

Fia's eyes widened slightly and she was about to approach Nagisa about what he'd said when Haven came back out wearing black jeans, a pink tank top under a pink denim jacket and a large pink bow on top of her head.

"Wow, I didn't know you owned any clothes that looked like that, almost makes me think you're a girl," Karma smirked.

"They're not mine. They're pass-me-downs from my cousin," Haven looked at her outfit with slight distaste.

"You look good," Nagisa and Fia said together. "Ready to go?"

* * *

Nagisa, Fia, and Haven stared up at the flashing sign. Benny had brought them to an arcade. Haven and Benny walking in first, followed by Nagisa and Fia. Haven seemed unaffected by the array of lights and noises surrounding them. Benny excitedly pointed to various areas of the arcade, explaining to his company, mostly Haven, what was what. Nagisa looked around with interest. Fia followed hesitantly.

"American arcades aren't too different from Japanese ones," Nagisa said with a small laugh.

Fia looked to him curiously. "So you have the same types of games?"

"A lot of these, yeah," he replied. "Would you like to play something? We're supposed to be giving Benny and Haven some space, right?"

Fia nodded as she watched the other two disappear into a crowd of gamers. "Yeah. How about skeeball?' she suggested.

With that, Fia and Nagisa became engaged in a series of friendly competitions, running from skeeball to air hockey to pinball to dance dance revolution. Nagisa was very composed for the most part but Fia could still see a shining glint of competitiveness and determination in his eyes. She admired Nagisa for his drive but, most of all, she was just glad to be taken seriously.

Nagisa discovered quickly that Fia was easily excitable, but he liked that she was a good sport about everything. Despite the fun he was having, he had continued to feel a slight nagging in the back of his mind. Finally giving into his desire to check in on Haven, Nagisa stepped down from the dance dance revolution pad and smiled apologetically at Fia.

"Fia, I'm going to go find the others first," he said.

Stomping quickly on the lit blue and pink arrows and out of breath, Fia said "See you soon!" between heavy gasps for air.

Nagisa smiled at his friend. He would have to find time to talk to her about the feelings grabbing at his thoughts. With that in mind, Nagisa left to find Benny and Haven.

"Hey, Haven, I won this for you," Benny came over holding a small, pastel-colored stuffed animal.

"Ummm… thanks? What is it?" Haven asked. The blue and white plush had the body and head of a dog and the ears and tail of a rabbit. Benny shrugged and put his arm over Haven's shoulders.

"I can't really tell either," Benny laughed, "What are you going to name it?"

"Hey, guys." Nagisa walked up to them. "I finally found you," the bluenette said. A reserved but friendly smile graced his face.

Haven looked from Nagisa to the stuffed animal.

"I think I'll name him Gisa-kun," Haven brought the plush up to her face.

"Why?" Benny asked as he dropped his arm away from Haven's shoulders.

"Cause he's the same color as Gisa's hair," the corners of Haven's mouth rose slightly. Benny muttered bitterly.

Nagisa looked a little surprised and embarrassed but he smiled nonetheless.

Panting but giggling, Fia ran up behind Nagisa and tapped his shoulder. "I finally beat my highscore!" she said giddily.

Nagisa smiled. "Congratulations, Fia. You're the new Dance Dance Revolution champion."

She beamed a smile at him before straightening herself out and looking between her friends. "So, what's going on? Did I miss anything?" Fia asked as she took notice of the small stuffed animal in Haven's hands. "Who's that?" Fia asked as her weakness for cute things bubbled to the surface.

"It's Gisa-kun," Benny grumbled.

"Eh?" Fia gave Nagisa a questioning look. He sweat-dropped and shrugged in response. She sweat-dropped in return and looked between her friends. The atmosphere was more than just a little tense. "S-so… Ready for the game?" Fia attempted to lead her friends from the indoor arcade and towards the ice arena.

* * *

The crowd roared in anger as the hockey players all smashed into the glass and began fist-fighting on the ice. Haven, Fia, Benny, and Nagisa simultaneously checked the scoreboards. The opposing school had somehow managed to take the lead, albeit not by much.

"Penalty! That was obviously tripping!" Haven yelled at the ref.

Fia flinched and covered her ears. It wasn't as if she wasn't used to this level of noise, but she had forgotten what kind of person Haven was when it came to the ice. Haven was dressed to the nines in the school's colors, fully armed with pompoms, noise-makers, and banners. She couldn't believe that they had all chipped in for the sake of 'school spirit' only to have it all utilized by a single person. Concerned, she stole a glance at Nagisa and Benny, each situated on either side of Haven.

Nagisa was watching the game intently, his poker-face unreadable as ever. Benny, by contrast, looked as if he was extremely tense - whether that was because he was nervous or upset about Haven or the game, Fia wasn't sure.

"YOU SUCK!" Haven screamed with their side of the crowd. "LET'S GO VIPERS, LET'S GO!" She chanted, banging her hand on the glass wall. As her beloved team scored and scored again, taking the lead right before halftime, Haven screeched "VICTORY VIPERS! TO VIICCTTOOORRRYYYYY!"

Fia instead turned her attention to the screaming crowds. She thought she saw a familiar red head near one of the camera men, but when she looked closer, he was nowhere to be found. A few moments later, the screen above the ice displayed a white haired person in pink and a blue haired person in white. Around them, the kiss cam frame flashed and the stadium broke out into a long and loud chant of "KISS! KISS! KISS!" Haven blushed a bit and looked at Nagisa.

"Why not?" Haven smiled, looking slightly drunk on adrenaline.

Nagisa was startled by all the attention focused on them. He didn't want to kiss Haven - not like this - but the noise was deafening. Blushing profusely, Nagisa grabbed Gisa-kun, the plush. He kissed the dog-rabbit-thing's snout and then pressed the plush's snout to Haven's cheek as he turned away and covered his red face with his other hand.

The crowd went wild, some members with cheers and wolf-whistles, some with "d'awwws." Fia looked on in confusion and concern as she saw Haven blush and Benny turn away before getting up and slowly leaving. She sighed and surveyed the scene once more. The screens no longer showed Nagisa and Haven, but Fia did notice a particular person hanging around the cameraman once again. Biting her lip, Fia made a split decision to chase after Benny.

"Benny!" she called as she raced out of the arena. She found him sitting on one of the benches outside. Approaching slowly, Fia called to him more softly, "Benny? Are you alright?"

He looked up at her with a very-forced smile. "Yeah, I just, uh, came out to get some fresh air since it was hot in there… You know how these games are."

She tentatively took a seat on the far end of the same bench. "Y-yeah…" her voice fell away into the evening shadows. "I'm sorry," she apologized quietly.

"For what?" Benny asked, shooting her a glance as he fiddled with the strings of his hoodie.

Fia took a deep breath and sighed. "Because… I realized your feelings and I wanted to help you, but I seem to have just made things worse. I didn't think he - that she - that they -"

"It's fine," Benny sighed irritatedly.

"Benny, I -" Fia started.

"I said it was fine, didn't I?" he said bitterly. He got up and, shoving his hands in his pockets, began walking away. "I'm going for a walk to clear my head."

Fia was scared to move for a moment, but her shoulders drooped as she watched her friend walk away. She knew that he wasn't going to be back anytime soon, but she still waited there like a desert waiting for rain. It only seemed natural to her. She waited until she noticed people had already begun to stream out from the arena in long troves. She waited until she saw a pair of familiar faces wandering around, probably looking for her. She waited until almost every person had dispersed and a familiar redhead ambled out.

Fia slowly rose from her seat and made her way over to him. He noticed her and stopped walking, waiting for her to catch up. He grinned and made an effort to speak to her but she had already gripped his shirt so tightly in her hands that her knuckles were turning white.

"Why…?" she murmured, the words barely leaving her lips.

"What?" he asked. "I didn't hear what you said." Karma became more serious at the girl's demeanor.

"I asked you… why… why you did that…" Fia sputtered out. "How could you…?" Pain seeped through the girl's breaking voice. "You didn't even consider his feelings!"

"Did you consider Nagisa's?" Karma asked cooly.

"I DIDN'T KNOW!" she yelled in frustration. "I DIDN'T KNOW AND IF I HAD I WOULDN'T HAVE COME UP WITH THIS STUPID PLAN IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"Would you have…?" Orange eyes peered down at the girl.

"F-fuck, I… I don't know! But I would have put some more thought into it and at the very least I might have been able to prevent Benny from getting hurt! I hurt him so badly today that I-I..." Fia trembled as she spoke and tears fell from her eyes.

Karma looked off in the direction that Haven and Nagisa had left. "He would have gotten hurt anyway, Fia. You know that."

"Sh-shut up!" Fia cried as she pounded on Karma's chest. "You didn't have to rub salt in the wound by doing that!"

"If I hadn't, then those three might never have realized how they felt and everyone would have gone home today feeling like shit!" Karma snapped.

Fia pulled away from him and quietly sobbed into her hands. The closest lamp to the pair flickered in the silence and then went out completely.

Karma sighed and called out to her in a softer tone. "Fia… We both did what we thought was right, and we'll have to live with that."

Fia hid her face behind wet, tear-stained locks of hair and turned away. "I hope we can," she murmured as she turned on her heels and began the long, dark walk back to the apartment she could no longer comfortably call 'home.'

* * *

Narrator: Guys, any comments this chapter? Benny…? Fia…? No tsundere outbursts…? Haven…? No coding jargon…? Nagisa…? Karma…? No antagonizing, snarky remarks…? C'mon guys, anything would be welcome at this point. I guess not. Well, before this gets more depressing than it already is, I'll give the preview: it's time to reconcile with a very special guest. And to lighten the mood, a punch line! Orange you glad I didn't say "banana?"

All: Wow. Boooooo!

Narrator: At least you guys responded!


	19. Chapter 19: Reconciliation Time

"Morning, Tsu-chan. What time did you get back?" Haven asked as she got out of bed. She was a bit surprised to see Fia up and about before her on a weekday.

Fia flinched as she heard Haven's voice and quickly threw on her green military jacket. Tying her hair up, she turned on her heel and escaped through the door. The sound of the front door being quietly opened and closed whispered through the halls.

"Fia?" Haven asked with concern.

* * *

"Where's Fia?" Nagisa asked. "I haven't seen her since the hockey game."

"No idea," Karma went around the kitchen preparing breakfast for the two of them. "Where's Haven? I thought you two would be close after what happened last weekend," he added.

Nagisa's face flushed. "How did you know about that?"

Karma smirked. "A little birdie told me."

"We haven't really talked since then," Nagisa admitted, "I'm not sure what our relationship is anymore…"

* * *

Nagisa walked to the hall where he bumped into Haven.

"Oh, Hi, Haven," Nagisa blushed

"Gisa," Haven lowered her head.

He sidestepped left and she stepped to her right, successfully blocking each other's way. The two blushed even redder as they both stepped the other way. Finally, they sorted themselves out and hurried off.

* * *

"Where's Fia?" Haven loomed over the redhead sprawled on the couch.

"How should I know?" he retorted.

"You tease her about things I don't even know about! How do you not know where she is every second of everyday?" Haven grumbled.

"Well, you're her best friend. How did you manage to lose her?"

"I wish she'd stop avoiding all of us," Haven sighed and sat on the couch next to Karma.

"You've got that right. It's been days, hasn't it?"

Haven nodded her head, "I'm worried about her. In all of my years of knowing her, she hasn't ever shut herself off from me like this."

* * *

There was a furious pounding on the front door. "OPEN UP THE DOOR, YOU BRATS!"

The three housemates looked at each other as the pounding continued.

"I say don't let her in," Karma voted. Haven went back to her computer, silently showing her agreement.

"I'll get it," Nagisa relented as he got up to open the door.

Momentarily, Jelavic walked in, dragging the fourth housemate with her. Angrily, the blonde put her hands on her hips as Fia collapsed onto the carpet beside her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Aren't you supposed to be a team or something? If so, then tell me why this girl hasn't stopped sulking for the entire week!" Fia slowly tried to crawl away but she was dragged back by her teacher. "It's normal for her to be shy, but completely silent? I don't think so! I'm calling a house meeting. That's what you call them, right?" Jelavic looked to Fia who nodded slowly in response.

"She's the one who's been avoiding us!" Haven protested, "She hasn't even told me what's wrong!"

Karma sweatdropped slightly. He guessed that Haven and Nagisa still didn't have a full grasp on what had happened over the last weekend.

Jelavic sighed and turned to look at Fia who had curled up into a ball at her feet. The older woman crouched down and put her arms around the smaller female. "Stop crying already. How many times do I have to tell you that's not going to get you anywhere?"

"Fia, what's wrong?" Nagisa asked with concern.

"She made a stupid plan that backfired and people got hurt," Karma sighed.

Tightly grasping at her heart, Fia glared at Karma with red eyes and a severely hurt, accusatory expression.

"What? It wasn't like you were going to tell them anytime soon. They deserve to know," Karma shot her a look.

Fia, using Jelavic's support, pushed herself onto her feet. She bowed her head to Nagisa and spoke shakily as if releasing her words meant releasing her tears. "I-I'm sorry, Nagisa… I'm so sorry that I didn't realize your feelings sooner. I'm sorry I dragged you into this whole mess. I'm sorry that I wasn't a better friend." She turned to Haven and cringed. "I'm sorry for not considering your feelings too… I'm sorry that I asked you to go out on a date with someone you don't care about in that way and… I'm so, so, so sorry, Benny… Wherever you are… I didn't mean to mess up like this…" She gripped the hem of her shirt tightly and fought back tears. Hanging her head, she sniffled quietly in the silent, unmoving room.

Haven ran over and gave Fia a hug. "I was never mad at you to begin with," she sighed in relief, "I was really starting to worry, you know!"

Fia pulled away slowly and smiled regretfully. "S-sorry to worry you…" she whispered. "I'm going back to my room now… Please don't call me unless you really have to." She turned away and tried to drag herself in the direction of her room.

"Oh, no you're not!" Jelavic grabbed the back of her shirt.

No energy to fight back, Fia just fell backwards and onto the floor again. "Ow…"

"That's it. I'm calling my student here," Jelavic frowned as she whipped out her cellphone. "You remind me a lot of her. I think she can smack some sense into you." With that, Jelavic walked out of the apartment to make her call.

Fia flopped down on the carpet and stared up at the ceiling. She whimpered and she covered her face with the back of her arms. "Dammit, Felix… Where are you when I need you…?"

Haven went over to her friend and tried to comfort her. "Come on, Tsu-chan. It's not as bad as you thought. I won't hold it against you," she murmured soothingly. Karma watched on from the couch thoughtfully.

"Yeah, Fia. It's okay, I didn't realize myself until recently," Nagisa tried to comfort her but his words fell on deaf ears.

Jelavic walked back in, followed by a tall woman with piercing emerald eyes and flowing copper hair that was naturally streaked with strands of gold. She looked only a few years older than the housemates there. The woman placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the room.

"Irina, what am I doing here?" the woman sighed as she adjusted her fitting red halter top over her high-waisted skinny jeans.

Fia sat up suddenly, startling Haven. She turned to see the newcomer and tears streamed down her face anew. "FELICIA?!" Fia scrambled onto her feet and pulled the taller woman into a tight hug.

The woman named Felicia sweat-dropped. "Who are - Fia?!" Her demeanor instantly relaxed and she wrapped her arms tightly around Fia. Fia latched her arms around Felicia's neck and gave her a teary grin as a rambling stream of Italian left her mouth. Felicia smiled as she wiped away Fia's tears and reciprocated. Unlike Fia's very animated and musical Italian, Felicia's was more refined and elegant. The two clung to each other and smiled softly as they cherished the feeling of having the other in their arms.

Jelavic stared blankly at the pair. "Does… Does anyone else know what's going on here?"

"Theories, unconfirmed theories," Nagisa replied with a sweatdrop.

"So, that's Felicia," Karma muttered to himself. He recognized the girl from the photograph Fia had showed him in Felix's room. Even then, Karma felt like the two looked like family for sure.

"Is that her older sister's name?" Haven asked.

Jelavic approached the two with wide blue eyes. "You two knew?!"

"Not exactly, Ms. Bitch -" Suddenly, Karma had Felicia's face in his.

"I bet you're the asshole who's been fucking with my sister. I will beat the crap out of you if you -" Felicia was fighting off Fia with her other hand. "Fia, would you please stop interrupting me? I am trying to give this dick a piece of my mind. Would you rather I give him my dagger instead? I won't stand for anyone who hurts you."

Fia dead-panned. "I never even said anything!"

"You kept glancing at him. He looks like a trouble-maker anyways. I figured he's the one you either love, hate, or want to kill for both reasons."

She blushed. "Wait, what?"

Felicia laughed smugly. "So I wasn't wrong?" Fia pouted as her cheeks turned pink. "You were always terrible at hiding things from me," Felicia chuckled as she pinched Fia's cheek. "This isn't any better than the time you stole my gelato and thought you could hide it from me."

"Fee'cia!" Fia whined in protest. "I was only 4!"

She smirked. " _Si_ , 4 years a thief! It wasn't fair that Felix always gave you his gelato too. No wonder you have such wide hips."

Fia's face turned red. "FEE'CIA!"

Jelavic's eyes gleamed. "Now I can teach two proteges! I'm going to show you how to utilize all of your feminine wiles!"

Felicia and Fia both dead-panned. "How about no?" they responded together.

Fia grabbed her sister's arm and hid behind her. "Commence Operation Timo Time?"

She nodded and, before anyone could react, Felicia was dragging Fia out the front door at top speed.

"What?" Haven asked with a blank expression.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Jelavic yelled as she began chasing the pair of girls down.

The boys exchanged glances. This week was just getting weirder and weirder.

* * *

Felicia and Fia circumambulated the frozen pond by the apartments. They were both laughing, something about the expression on Jelavic's face.

"So, you've really been training with Ms. Jelavic for the last five years?" Fia asked tentatively.

Felicia nodded. "Almost six years now. When I left, Irina was the one who took me in. I guess I owe my occupation to her. You're really training under her too?"

Fia sighed. "Well, I guess you could say that… Much different circumstances though. I'm glad you took the whole assassin thing well."

"How could I not? Does the family know?" Felicia asked. Reading Fia's expression, she laughed lightly. "Didn't think so. Are you really still holding onto your first kiss?"

Her younger sister blushed. "Y-Yes. I promised that I would keep it until I really fell in love…" Fia mumbled.

"I admire your romanticism, but that can really hinder you if you're on the job," Felicia explained. "You know, Irina has quite the secret technique."

"S-So I've heard…" she laughed nervously.

The two carefully climbed down the icy hill and stood by the shore together to take in the quiet rush of winter wind.

"It's… Good to have you back," Fia said slowly. "I take it that your being here has to stay a secret from the family?"

Felicia smiled bitterly. "Please and thank you. Hey, you better not be crying again," she sighed as she noticed the expression on Fia's face. "Why were you crying earlier anyway? Don't think I don't recognize your puffy, red eyes. You were always the cry baby of us three."

Fia pouted. "W-Was not… Okay, maybe I am," she laughed a little. "Wouldn't you always hold my hand though?" Felicia nudged Fia with her elbow but took her hand anyway. The girl smiled and leaned against her older sister. "I… It's a long story."

"We've been apart for five years. I expect a lot of long stories. We have to start somewhere, don't we? Why don't you start by telling me about that boy?"

She face-palmed and whined in protest. "Why are you so fixated on him?"

"Because I can tell that he's the one on your mind." Felicia replied flatly. "Are you going to talk or am I going to have to squeeze the answer out of you?"

Fia bit her lip. "Well… He always annoys me like it's his passion, but he's… Actually not a bad person… I guess I'm upset that I couldn't just see the entire situation for myself and my precious friends got hurt… I'm upset that he was the one who got me to realize that - and that he was still the one…" She clenched her fists tightly. "That he was still the one who understood how I was feeling most… And that he was the one who knew the right things to say." Fia huffed as she finally got her feelings off of her chest. "How can you always tell what I'm thinking…?"

"I'm your _sorella_ , or did you forget?" Felicia smiled. "You better not ever forget that."

Fia laughed. "How could I? You're the only one in the family who shares the same problems I do!"

Felicia stole a glance at Fia's chest. "Difference is, I don't get flustered about it."

Against her will, Fia proved her sister's point as her face flushed pink. "Sh-Shut up!"

She laughed and tousled pinkish, auburn hair. "I always liked how honest you are."

"H-Huh?" Fia looked up at Felicia with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

Emerald eyes softened. "Even if you say otherwise, your eyes, your demeanor, your reactions are all very genuine. You aren't like me." Felicia paused for a moment. "Why don't you just be honest with him?"

Fia tilted her head. "Y-You mean Karma?"

"Who else? Take it from me, you'll feel better."

She nodded slowly. "A-Alright… Will you stay around for awhile?"

Felicia frowned. "You'd be crazy to think that I'd leave you alone with that delinquent for too long." Letting her words sink in, Felicia led Fia back to the house and they walked the whole way hand-in-hand.

The girls pushed the front door open and quickly stepped into the warm apartment. Fia found Karma sitting on the floor of the living room, skimming through a textbook. Felicia shoved Fia forward and she stumbled through the hall until she clumsily landed on the floor in front of Karma. He looked up from his book.

"Hey, Fia," he smirked. "Nice of you to drop in."

Fia sat up and rubbed her butt. "Th-Thanks…"

Felicia stood with her arms crossed behind her sister. "Redhead, where are the other two?"

Karma used his thumbs to gesture at either bedroom. She nodded and winked at her sister as if to say "Have fun, Fia~." Fia dead-panned as she watched her sister invade both rooms and drag Nagisa and Haven out. Nagisa was struggling to put on his jacket while Haven just shot ice daggers at the woman. She pulled them both out the door by the scruff of their necks. Fia and Karma sweat-dropped as they watched them go.

"What was that about?" he asked.

Fia blushed and tugged on his sleeve. "Karma, I want to talk."

* * *

Felicia continued to glance between Nagisa and Haven. She had taken them to one of the student cafes so that Fia and Karma could talk, but she hadn't realized how awkward these two were. To make matters worse, they kept alternatingly stealing glances at each other as if the other wouldn't notice. Felicia sighed.

"What are your names again?" she said with a faint smile.

"I'm Haven," the white haired girl muttered.

"My name is Nagisa Shiota," the bluenette responded.

She acknowledged them both with a nod. "I'm Felicia, one of Fia's sisters. I take it you guys are her friends and housemates?"

The two college students nodded.

"So, tell me how you guys met."

"I met her freshman year. We were lab partners in a science class," Haven replied.

"My best friend was antagonizing her, so I had to go make him stop," Nagisa rubbed the back of his head.

Felicia turned to Haven first. "Science? My little sister is still into chemistry?"

Haven nodded her head with a slight grimace, "There has been at least one chemical mishap a year since I met her."

She laughed lightly. "Only once a year?"

Nagisa smiled. "I'm not surprised. What's the weirdest thing she's ever done?"

Haven thought for a few moments. "The shrinking was weird, but the bioluminescence lasted for an entire week."

Felicia shook her head. "That girl was always a fan of light tricks. She was able to manipulate fire with hand sanitizer. It went well… Until my hair caught on fire."

The bluenette sweat-dropped. "What happened then?"

"To make up for it, she had to grow and harvest red crystals for me. I still have them," Felicia said as she daintily touched the jeweled necklace hanging around her neck.

"It's pretty," Haven said with a slight smile.

The older woman returned Haven's smile, but her expression soon changed to one of curiosity. "I can understand glowing, but how did you shrink?"

Haven and Nagisa exchanged awkward glances.

"I think she was trying to cure cancer by shrinking tumors or something… Smoke started coming from the beaker and we got a facefull of it," Haven reminisced, "I put her in a spice jar to keep her safe and went to get the boys."

"You shrunk right before my very eyes," Nagisa smiled, "I'm still wondering how the mini clothes you had were such close duplicates of your real ones."

"Fia had them in her room. I think she made them," Haven smiled.

"That makes sense," Nagisa laughed a bit at the idea.

* * *

Karma closed his textbook and put his hands behind his head. "You finally feeling better, Fia?" he asked.

She nodded slowly. "I'm… I'm sorry about the other night. I-I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"I… Could have done things differently," he admitted slowly. "Are you really okay now?"

Fia smiled embarrassedly. "Well, I had plenty of time to think about what you said…" she admitted. "I was frustrated… But I was frustrated in part because you were right all along." Fia paused to shift and gather her thoughts. "I… don't feel like I should be apologizing anymore. I think… I should be thanking you, Karma."

He gave her a questioning look. "What for?"

"For helping me accept my decision. Whether it was right or wrong, it's already happened and I have to stick by that. It's really rare that I ever really believe in myself." She smiled brightly at him. "And if it was wrong, well, I learned and now I'm going to keep moving forward with my friends."

Karma smiled back at Fia and placed his hand lightly on her head. The thought had occurred to him that Fia might never come around and he was glad that she had. "This is the part where I get to say, 'I told you so,' right?" he teased.

She straightened her posture with dignity and resolve. "If you have to, I'll let it go just this once~."

"What fun is that?" Karma asked. "I guess I'll just have to stick around and make sure I get another chance."

Fia stuck her tongue out at him. "As if I'd let that happen!"

Karma shook his head. "You know it will. Just don't cry again when it does!"

Her cheeks reddened. "I'm not gonna cry!" she pouted insistently.

"Sure," Karma said it sarcastically but he was rubbing Fia's cheek with his thumb. He had to say, he didn't like it when she cried, and he'd seen her cry way too many times in the last week alone. "If you do, I'll make fun of you."

Fia laughed incredulously. "Like there's ever a time when you don't tease me!"

"Next time, I might not go so easy on you," he smirked. "So no more crying?"

She shook her head with a smile. "Yeah, yeah. I got it. No more crying."

* * *

Felicia walked Haven and Nagisa back to their apartment. When the three entered through the door, they all dead-panned together. Fia and Karma had somehow made podiums of cardboard boxes and were both loudly proclaiming their merits to the world. Had their week of ignoring each other finally broken them both?

Karma cleared his throat. "Well, if I become president, I promise to make all petty thieveries punishable by prank!"

Fia pounded her fist down on her 'podium,' causing the box to capsize and collapse. "What will that solve?!" she demanded as she righted the cardboard. "If I become president, every good samaritan will be rewarded with cannolis~!"

"That's going to go straight to everyone's hips," Karma stuck his tongue out. "Freedom of weaponry and open mass-destruction."

"Freedom of cute plushies and public execution of Karma Akabane to make an example of all teasing, sadistic meanies!"

Karma laughed. "Fine, then if I become president, I will thereby decree that all tsunderes have to be a part of my personal entertainment troupe!"

"TYRANNY!" Fia giggled. "DOWN WITH THE TYRANT!"

Felicia, Nagisa, and Haven watched on, unsure of how to react to their strange behavior.

The redhead grabbed his podium and trapped Fia in the box. "That's heresy! I'll tease you until you surrender and swear fealty to me!"

Fia laughed and thrashed around in the box. "Karma! You already do that!"

Felicia was the first of the stunned three to move. She walked over to the two and freed Fia from the box. "Having fun?" she asked with a strained smile.

Her little sister nodded vigorously. "Vote Fia~! I'll make this apartment a wonderful kingdom that thrives off of friendship and magic!"

Karma snickered. "You're acting five again. Vote Karma and you'll never be bored~," he promished devilishly.

"I support Fia," Haven interjected.

"Well, what about you, Nagisa?" Karma shot his friend a look.

"Fia," he replied flatly.

The Italian jumped around happily, clapping her hands quickly. "Yay~! I'll be grand supreme empress in no time!"

Felicia shook her head and bonked her sister on the head. "Why don't I trust you? I think I'll just have to steal the crown from you."

Fia gasped. "You wouldn't dare! Karma! I propose an alliance!"

He grinned sadistically. "If you insist, your highness~."

Before anyone could respond, a pillow castle had been erected by Fia and Karma. A volley of couch cushions came flying at Felicia, Nagisa and Haven. It wasn't quite mach 20, but it was still unexpected. Haven ducked and crawled to her room. Nagisa, startled, dodged the pillows before pulling a mechanic pencil from his vest pocket. Holding it like a dagger, he charged the fort to assassinate the king.

Felicia sighed and sat down at the kitchen counter as she watched the chaos unfold. She shook her head with a smile. It was going to be a long, crazy evening, but that was something they thrived off of, wasn't it?

* * *

Nagisa had just returned from class the following Monday and was walking into the apartment when he bumped into a white-haired girl.

"Hi, Haven," Nagisa greeted her, "Where are you headed?"

"Hi Nagisa!" she smiled, "I think I'll go see how Benny's doing. I haven't seen him all week."

The two passed each other and went on their merry way. A few minutes later, Haven knocked on Benny's front door.

"Who is it?" he called from inside.

"It's Haven," she called.

Benny opened the door, "Come in, I was just about to call you."

"Really?" Haven asked as she walked into the living room.

"Yeah, I needed to tell you something," he began as the two of them sat down.

"What is it?"

"Haven, I like you," he said.

"I like you too, you're a really good friend of mine," Haven gave him a smile.

Benny frowned and grabbed Haven by the shoulders. He looked seriously into her eyes. "I don't think you understand, Haven. I don't see you like a friend. I love you! I really love you - and I have for the last two and a half years!" he shouted. "Ever since I met you, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind, let alone out of my heart! Why don't you understand that?!"

Haven gave him a blank expression, then started repeating, "Error! Stack overflow!"

Benny pulled out his cell phone and dialed Fia's number. "Hey, Fia, I think I broke Haven!" he panicked into the phone. A few moments later, he brought the phone closer to Haven.

From the receiver, Fia's voice could be heard, "I'M COMING TO GET YOU, ANGEL!"

* * *

Felicia: (knocks Karma and Fia on the heads) Well, now that you two are getting along, CLEAN UP THIS DAMNED MESS!

Fia: EEP! (scrambles to replace couch cushions but gets trapped under upside-down couch)

Karma: (sweat-drops) I got it. (goes to help her)

Fia: C'mon! I gotta get outta here so I can find Angel!

Karma: … (smirks) Nah, I think I'm going to leave you there.

Fia: (o A o) You wouldn't!

Felicia: (clears throat) Excuse you?

Karma: (cheeky smile) The readers will just have to wait another chapter to find out what happened with Haven.

Haven: Error! Stack overflow! Error! Stack overflow! Error! Stack overflow!

Nagisa: Is she okay?

Felicia: (sighs) Narrator. Just get to the chapter preview already. I'm tired of babysitting.

Fia: You're only three years older than me!

Felicia: In maturity?

Fia: … More like thirty…

Felicia: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!

Narrator: Well, it seems like Benny really has broken Haven. This chapter was as choppy as their emotions, but least everyone seems to be recovering! Next time we'll resolve this whole Benny thing and it's someone's birthday!


	20. Chapter 20: X-Day Time

Karma sat on the couch in the living room and watched the snow fall outside their window. The white flakes slowly drifted by, bright glimmers against the dark background that was the night sky. In the distance, the campus clock tower chimed twelve times. He tilted his head back as he felt two hands lightly land on his shoulders.

"Fia," he greeted the Italian with a bored expression. "What's with that face?"

She smiled softly at him. "Merry Christmas, Karma, and Happy Birthday."

He moved so that Fia could sit next to him and watch the snow too. They seemed to have fallen into this habit as of late. "Thanks," he replied, "but it's not really that big of a deal."

Fia pouted. "We're celebrating the day you were born!" she protested. "Although… I feel like that's hard for most people to say," she sighed.

"It really is," Haven called from her bedroom.

Fia shot a sour look in Haven's direction and turned back to Karma. "You've been saying that you don't care for the last two and a half weeks, but I care. So…" She blushed and bit her lip. "Will you please accept my present anyway?"

Karma sighed. "Alright, where is it?"

Fia pointed to the miniature Christmas tree standing in the corner of the living room. The twinkling lights created a soft, golden glow that reflected off red and green ornaments. She grabbed Karma's hand and dragged him over to the tree. Finding a comfortable spot on the floor, Karma smiled as he watched Fia rummage through the pile of wrapped presents. She grinned as she pulled out a small red box with a black bow.

"How'd you manage to escape your family?" Karma asked as he took the box from Fia's hands.

Fia blushed. "I told them that I already had important plans…" she said slowly as she bashfully looked at Karma. "They're content having me for the week before Christmas and the week after New Years."

Karma pulled the ribbon loose as Fia spoke. Normally, he probably would have just torn the wrapping paper off, but Fia was looking at him with such earnest eyes that he didn't want to hurt her. He peered inside the box and dropped its contents into his open hand.

"This is…" he trailed off as the silver glinted in his hand.

Fia scooted closer to him with a happy smile on her face. "It's a keychain," she explained. "It was a little difficult to work the metal into the dagger shape and set the red crystals into the hilt, but…" Fia blushed as she looked up at Karma. "Do you like it?"

Karma stared down at the small keychain. For something so tiny, the details were so intricate. Fia really made this…? Karma smiled softly at the girl beside him. "Yeah, thank you, Fia."

Relief spread across her face as she smiled brightly. She clapped her hands together. "You really like it?!"

He nodded and grasped the charm tightly in his palm. Karma smiled, but it wasn't like he hadn't noticed the bandages wrapped around Fia's fingers. Sighing to himself, he wondered what in the world he could get Fia to match her gift to him.

Fia tilted her head. "Are you alright, Karma?"

The redhead pocketed his gift and smirked. "Just thinking."

"About what?" she asked with curiosity.

"The fact that my gift didn't include mistletoe," Karma teased as he stuck his tongue out with a satisfied smile.

Her face flushed. "K-Karma!" Fia whispered harshly.

He laughed and ruffled her hair as he began to walk towards his room. "Goodnight, Fia. See you in the morning."

Fia smiled with a slightly nod. "See you in the morning."

* * *

"You mean Akabane didn't get coal?" Haven asked sarcastically as she sat down among her housemates later that morning. She didn't exactly look enthused.

Karma fingered the silver charm in his pocket and grumpily huffed. "Just shut up. What did Fia get you?"

Haven shook the small pink box and opened it with care - The present was from Fia afterall. She found a wireless, black computer mouse with pink stripes streaking across its back.

Fia smiled. "I noticed that your old mouse was getting really worn and not scrolling as quickly. Merry Christmas, Angel!"

Nagisa leaned over from where he was sitting next to Haven on the floor and peered over her shoulder. "It's cute," he commented.

Haven nodded and handed Fia a circular green box with a pink bow on top. "Happy Obligatory Gift-Giving Day," she said with a smile.

Karma sweat-dropped. "Is that your way of saying 'Merry Christmas'?"

"I don't celebrate Christmas, Akabane," Haven replied flatly. "But every year, Tsu-chan still gives me something. Or should I call it the day both Jesus and the spawn of Satan were born?"

Fia laughed wryly. "C-come on, guys. It's Christmas! Let's try not to kill each other, at least for today," she pleaded as she opened Haven's present. Her eyes sparkled as her eyes fell on a green skillet with white polka-dots. "I love it!" Fia pulled Haven into a hug. "Thanks, Angel!"

"Now you have a weapon against Akabane," Haven said. She shot him a look, which he mirrored with irritation.

Smiling, Fia handed Nagisa a small blue box with white swirls. "Here, Nagisa!"

The bluenette smiled. "You got one for me too?" He opened the box and found a small reading light. Nagisa pulled the light out of the box and was pleasantly surprised that he could clip it onto the collar of his shirt.

"It's for your note-taking," Fia announced with a smile.

Nagisa beamed at Fia as he passed her a pink box with a green ribbon. "Thank you, Fia. This will come in handy."

She pried open the container and giggled. She found a green, rabbit-shaped pot clip and a mug with a tag that read 'heat sensitive.' Gasping, Fia fawned over the design. There was an empty conical flask design on the side of the mug that, when exposed to heat, would appear full with a green liquid. Fia hugged Nagisa too. "Thanks, Nagisa!"

"No problem, Fia," Nagisa said as he noticed that there were still more presents sitting among the strewn-about wrapping paper. "Who are those for?"

Fia laughed wryly. "Those are for you, from my sister and other family members," she admitted slowly. Reading the tags, Fia announced "For: the blue-haired boy, For: the icy-looking girl, and For: the trouble-making readhead." She distributed the boxes and waited patiently.

Nagisa sweat-dropped as he took the present box into his hands "At least Felicia could tell I was a boy…"

Haven wore a similar expression as she spoke. "At least she realized that I'm a girl…!"

Several presents and dismayed groans later, the housemates each carried their gifts back to their own rooms, and Fia began cleaning up the living room.

"Do you need help cleaning up, Tsu-chan?" Haven asked.

Shaking her head, Fia got to her feet and began picking up the remnant mess of their Christmas morning experience. "I'm alright. Ready for pictures?" Fia asked with a hopeful smile.

Sighing, Karma, Nagisa, and Haven situated themselves in front of the tree while Fia set a camera on a tripod and began its timer. Haven slipped on her antler headband and red nose with an unamused expression as she took the middle position. Nagisa adjusted his bell-clad hat and pointy ears with a weak smile. He knew that no one had meant any harm, but he felt like dressing as an elf only served to emphasize his shortness. As she ran back to join her group, Fia straightened out the gold-lined ruffles on her green blouse. Judging by her star hair clip and the red hearts that dotted her attire, Fia's outfit was supposed to be a take on the Christmas tree itself. In the back, Karma, dressed like a militant Santa Claus, threw his arms around Nagisa's and Fia's shoulders, sticking his tongue and both middle fingers out at the camera just as the shutter sounded and the flash finished. The birthday boy grinned. Merry X-Day, mother fuckers.

* * *

Nagisa and Haven sat on the couch together while Fia and Karma moved about the kitchen. Nagisa was scribbling in his notebook while Haven typed away on her computer. She was using a familiar pair of pink headphones, so she didn't notice when Nagisa called her name. It wasn't until Nagisa had lightly tapped on her shoulder that she looked up.

"Yes, Gisa?" Haven asked as she let the headphones rest on her shoulders instead.

"Does Fia really like Christmas?" the bluenette asked as he pointed to the girl, who was humming as she flitted from fridge to oven.

Haven paused for a moment. "I think she just likes being around everyone. I never really see Fia act religious," she admitted.

Nagisa nodded and wrote something down in his notebook before tucking it into his vest along with his new book-light. "We never really celebrated Christmas either," he said as he returned his gaze to meet Haven's, "so this was a really fun."

"You didn't get anything for Karma?" Haven asked.

He shook his head. "No, I would have but he really doesn't seem to care about either his birthday or Christmas. He usually spends today alone."

"In any case," Haven smiled, "I'm glad we got to spend this Christmas with you, Gisa…"

* * *

" _Through the years_

 _We all will be together,_

 _If the Fates allow_

 _Hang a shining star upon the highest bough._

 _And have yourself A merry little Christmas now."_

Karma smiled and leaned against the kitchen counter as Fia sang over her array of frosted desserts. From the brownies wearing strawberry and whipped cream santa hats to the cupcakes with frosting Christmas trees and reindeer cookies with chocolate-covered pretzels for antlers and M&Ms for faces, Fia had her hands full.

"Hey, Fia," Karma called.

"Hm?" The other girl stopped humming and looked up at her male counterpart.

"You've got a little bit of - nevermind, I'll just get it." He used his thumb to wipe some frosting off of her cheek and licked up the sweet substance.

Fia's cheeks glowed hotter than the oven beeping behind her. "Th-Thanks," she stuttered as she robotically went to remove the bread from the oven.

Karma laughed. "If you got embarrassed by that, Tsu-chan, I can't wait to see how you react to the mistletoe I hid somewhere around here."

An involuntary shudder of fear ran through her body. Cheeks inflamed and eyes widening, Fia turned to Karma with a look of shock and horror. "You didn't!"

He smirked. "Maybe I did. Call it party decorations for my birthday~?"

Fia was about to retort when an expression of realization crossed her face. "Karma, you're turning 21 today, aren't you?"

He raised an eyebrow and nodded. "What does that matter?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing much," she started, "I just realized that you're exactly two months older than me." Fia giggled. "When's Nagisa's birthday?"

Karma hummed in thought. "July 20th."

Fia's eyes lit up in wonder. "He's exactly two months older than Haven too!" she declared happily. "What a funny coincidence! It's like we were all meant to meet like this."

Giggling, Fia snapped off a piece of gingerbread for her and Karma to share. Karma gladly took the piece and began crunching it loudly between his teeth. He hoped to annoy her, but Fia brushed off some crumbs from the corner of his mouth and gently sucked them off of her own thumb. Karma's face began to redden as Fia smiled up at him.

"You had a little bit of something there, but I got it~" Fia sang happily.

* * *

"I think the white frosting is supposed to hold the roof in place and look like snow," Nagisa said as he supported the sides of the gingerbread house.

Fia held the roof in place as Haven slathered the creamy, white frosting over the layers of tiles. "Angel, the frosting is so pale that I almost can't tell where you've accidentally frosted your own hands…" she laughed nervously. Haven shot her an unamused look but finished her job and grabbed the candies they would be using for decoration.

"I still think we should make it look like it's bleeding," Karma replied as he used sugar glue to seal the walls and roof into place.

Fia shouted in alarm. "DID YOU JUST GLUE MY HANDS TO THE HOUSE?!"

He snickered and twirled the tube of sugar glue between his fingers. "Oops?"

Nagisa shook his head and blowed a little bit of powdered sugar at Karma. The redhead tried to wave the cloud away, but ended up coughing on the sweetened fog. Haven's smirk spoke to her satisfaction as she watched Karma struggle. She passed the bowl of candy to Nagisa and they both began decorating the outside of the gingerbread house with contented expressions on their faces.

Fia, having carefully peeled her hands away from their creation, grabbed a tube of frosting and began creating icicles. She jumped slightly when she felt something warm touch her back. Fia turned to see that Karma, nose slightly red and irritated from Nagisa's stunt, had come up behind her and was grabbing her hands in his.

"Do it like this," Karma smiled wolfishly.

Her jaw dropped. "I'm making icicles, not pikes to impale the gingerbread men on!"

Laughing, Karma tried to wrestle the frosting away from Fia. Once he got ahold of it, he took advantage of his height by dangling it high over her head. Flustered, Fia jumped and jumped for her precious frosting.

Nagisa sweat-dropped. He envied Karma's height just a slight bit. Whereas Nagisa had always been the shortest boy in their class, Karma was one of the tallest people he knew, and his friend had only grown since middle school. He turned to see that Haven was working steadily beside him. His blue eyes widened and his cheeks reddened as he realized how close they were - and as he realized that he was the perfect height to kiss her forehead. Maybe his height was something he could get used to afterall. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Nagisa smiled.

"What are you doing, Haven?" he asked.

Haven finished gluing a cross-section of pretzel sticks. "Building a fence," she replied simply.

Nagisa gently grabbed her hand as the fearful thought of Haven shutting herself off from the rest of them flashed through his mind. He hated the thought of losing the closeness they had now. "Why don't you wait until the house is done?" he requested tentatively.

"If you say so, Gisa," Haven smiled and took the fences down, much to Nagisa's relief. "Will you help me with the windows and doors?"

The bluenette bobbed his head. "Of course!"

The mood in the other half of the kitchen contrasted greatly. Karma growled and held his hand out expectantly. "Give me back Ginger-Karma or Ginger-Fia gets it!" he threatened as he tightened his grip on the gingerbread girl in his hand.

Fia held the redheaded gingerbread man over the sink's garbage disposal. "Don't you dare hurt her! I'll let Ginger-Karma go once I get my Ginger-Haven back!"

"You say that, but you're the one who snapped Ginger-Gisa's neck!" he retorted with a teasing smirk.

Fia's face flushed. "I DID NOT! I was fixing his pigtails when you tried to snatch him out of my hand! You're the one who snapped his neck!" she yelled back. Unlike Karma, Fia took her confectionary creations very, very seriously. She grabbed an open tube of frosting and pointed it at him like a gun. "PUT YOUR HANDS - AND THE GINGER-PEOPLE - WHERE I CAN SEE THEM, KARMA AKABANE!"

Karma pounded his fist on the counter, causing a similar tube of frosting to go flying. He easily caught the spinning tube and turned the colorfully-pigmented decorative cream on Fia. "Is this a stand-off, Fia~?" he crooned.

Nagisa sighed and confiscated both Karma and Fia's weapons before they could turn the kitchen into a warzone. He took the gingerbread men from the two and placed them in front of their completed house. Fia quickly mended Ginger-Gisa's broken neck with a licorice scarf and had him join the others. Karma smirked and moved things around so that the licorice scarf would be wrapped around both Ginger-Gisa and Ginger-Haven's necks.

Nagisa's cheeks reddened and, although Haven was becoming a little more pink, she shot Karma a look. "I think I'd prefer a pink tie," she retorted.

"Oh~? Would you really?" Karma grinned. "I don't know. I really doubt that."

Fia smiled at her friends and snapped a quick picture of the house they had all created together. The four were covered in colorful, sticky sugary substances but they were all laughing together. Her gaze softened as it met with each of her friend's. This is what this holiday was all about.

* * *

A few days finally passed before Karma made himself do it. "Haven," he called from where he was leaning against the girl's door frame. "You have a minute?"

"What do you want, Akabane?" she asked with a flat tone. Haven didn't even look up from her computer.

He sighed. "It's about Fia - And I want to do this now while she and Nagisa are still busy fawning over that book they just finished. Do you know what she likes?"

Haven raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask? Why do you care? Why should I help the likes of you?"

Rubbing the back of his head, Karma sighed. "Because I want to get her something," he grumbled. "For Christmas and my birthday or whatever."

"You're actually doing something nice for once?" Haven smirked, "I guess I'll help you."

"What does Fia want for Christmas?" he asked again begrudgingly.

"Ask her. She'll tell you," Haven began typing on her laptop.

Karma shook his head. "It's supposed to be a surprise. Are you going to tell me or not?"

Haven sighed, "It'll be something practical. She likes green, so that's a safe color choice. Cute is a must…" Haven kept listing off guidelines to Karma. His cheeks slowly reddened to the same shade of his hair as he, in a fluster, tried to remember everything Haven was saying. He was beginning to think that he should begin taking notes like Nagisa when, suddenly, Haven turned her computer around. "Get her this," she pointed to the screen.

He sweat-dropped. "If you say so…"

* * *

Karma slipped his wool gloves onto his hands. "Hey, Fia. You ready to go?"

"Coming!" Fia ran down the hall with all of her clothes in disarray. "I needed to make sure I had my shopping list!" she explained between pants. She straightened herself out and buttoned up her parka before tightening the waist with the adjustment straps to better suit her figure. Fia grabbed her boots and began hopping around as she tried to get them onto her feet.

Chuckling, Karma offered Fia his hand to steady her. Once she had successfully laced up both of her boots, Karma took the scarf hanging from Fia's shoulder and wrapped it cozily around her neck. "C'mon, Fia. We have to go if we want to hit all of the stands today. Nothing is going to open tomorrow for New Year's Eve."

"I know, I know! You don't have to tell me twice!" she giggled from behind the fabric of her white scarf. Fia grabbed Karma's arm and began pulling him out the door. "Let's go!"

Karma and Fia chattered happily as they stolled into the open winter market. The snow was no deterrent for everyone there. No amount of cold could kill the festive atmosphere as people sampled food, bought decorations and small gifts, and, overall, just had a good time.

Fia dragged Karma over to a stand selling desserts. "Karma, look!" The girl pointed excitedly as her eyes reflected the pastry that had stolen all of her attention. "Choux à la crème!" she pressed her face against the glass.

"Hello, young lady." A hefty vendor dressed in chef's garb smiled down at Fia. "See something that catches your eye?"

She blushed profusely and shyly stepped behind Karma. Fia nodded slowly at man who was smiling good-naturedly at her and patiently waiting. Grabbing tightly onto Karma's arm and mustering every ounce of courage she could, Fia pointed at the choux à la crème. "C-Can I-I p-p-please…" Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Can I please h-have t-two of those?" Exhaling, Fia buried her red face in the back of Karma's jacket.

The man laughed and grabbed the pastries for them. Fia's hand extended from in between Karma's arm and side as she tried to hand the vendor her money. Karma sighed and rubbed his temples as he shook his head.

Laughing, the vendor waved his hand and handed Karma the bag of desserts. "It's on the house - for your adorable girlfriend."

Steam escaped Fia's ears as she turned red. Karma's cheeks grew pink as he grabbed the pastries from the vendor. "Y-yeah, Thanks…" Karma grabbed Fia and quickly dragged her down the street.

Fia waved meekly as the stall faded into the distance. She quickly righted herself and began walking beside Karma. She graciously accepted one of the rolls from him. "Don't mind if I do~!" she cheered as she took a huge bite. Karma was vaguely aware that her chewing sounded a bit like the "omnomnom" one might hear in a cartoon. Fia squealed happily and earned a renewed bounce in her step. "It's soooo good!" She turned to Karma and held out the choux à la crème to him. "Want a bite?" she asked cheerfully.

Rubbing the back of his head and ignoring his pinkish ears, he leaned down and took a bite. Orange eyes widened and cream spread across his tongue. "That's really rich…" Karma said.

She nodded with a giddy grin. "Isn't it good?"

Karma smiled. "Yeah, but you finish it." He patted her head and guided her through the crowded streets. "Where to?"

Fia brushed the crumbs away from her face with the back of her sleeve and hummed. "There!" Fia grabbed Karma's sleeve again and pulled him in the direction of a colorful stand. The two contentedly began browsing. Fia picked up a pack of sparklers. "How about these?" she giggled.

He nodded. "Those work." With a slight of hand, Karma grabbed a box of smoke bombs and firecrackers."

"Oh no you don't!" Fia laughed. "Put those back!"

"But think of all the fun we can have!" Karma protested. He grabbed Fia and began tickling her. "See! You're laughing already!"

She laughed loudly as she broke free from his grasp. "Fine! But, if Nagisa and Angel ask, you didn't get permission from me!" Fia grabbed the boxes from him, as well as a few party poppers and Bang-Snaps. She brought them up to the elderly woman running the stand and shyly paid.

Karma leaned against one of the stand's tables as Fia bounded back to him with a happy grin. He took the bags from her hands and led her back into the street. "What are the Bang-Snaps for?" Karma asked as he pulled out one of the boxes.

Fia grabbed the box from him and dumped the small white bombs into her hand. "This!" She giggled as she tossed one down.

Karma jumped back as the Bang-Snap cracked and sparked at his feet. "Hey!" He growled and snatched a handful of the Bang-Snaps from Fia. Beginning to laugh, he and Fia chased each other around the market place, throwing Bang-Snaps at each other.

Twenty minutes later, the redhead found himself panting and in the middle of the market square. Karma looked around and realized that he couldn't see even a single strand of auburn hair anywhere. "Fia?" he called into the crowd. When he didn't hear a response, he swore to himself. "Fia!"

Fia rounded a corner and began walking down the next street of stalls with a sigh. She had lost track of Karma well over an hour ago and was really beginning to worry about him. Shivering, Fia pulled her parka closer around her. She knew that Karma could handle himself, but the sun and temperature were both dropping and she wanted anything but him getting sick again.

"Fia!"

She turned around to see a redhead racing towards her. "Karma!" Fia ran in his direction and threw her arms around him as soon as she reached him. "Ow!" she cried as she felt a fist land on the top of her head. "What was that for?!"

Karma scowled and then exhaled in relief, tightly holding Fia to him. "You're a real idiot," he sighed.

Fia blushed slightly. "S-Sorry for worrying you…" she mumbled as she buried her face in the warm crook of his neck. Although she didn't want to pull back yet, she whispered, "Should we go…?"

He pulled away slowly and took her hand. "Yeah. Don't let go, alright?"

She nodded with a shy smile. "A-Alright…"

He peered down at her red cheeks and nose. The girl's hand was ice-cold in his. Karma sighed and readjusted Fia's scarf around her neck before biting his gloves and pulling them off. He slipped his gloves over her hands. "There," he said.

Fia pouted up at him. Her adamantly, stubborn expression read 'There's no way I'm going to let you freeze.'

Smirking, Karma let Fia pull off one of her gloves but grabbed her wrist before she could remove the other. He put on the warm glove and held her bare hand in his free one. Karma tucked their held hands into his jacket pocket. "Embarrassed yet, Tsu-chan?" he asked teasingly.

She shook her red face furiously and puffed out her cheeks.

"Not at all~? You're not a good liar, Tsu-chan~."

Fia laughed embarrassedly. "N-No… I'm just happy I found you…" She smiled softly as her gaze fell to the ground. Her eyes shone with emotion and she clasped his hand more tightly in hers.

Surprised, Karma subconsciously squeezed Fia's hand in his own. "Let's go home."

* * *

There was a knock at the door. Haven went to get it, smiling.

"Hi, Benny," her smile faltered a bit as she recalled their last interaction.

"Hey, Haven. Can I come in?" he asked quietly.

"Of course," Haven stepped to the side and let the boy pass. He walked into the living room and sat on one of the couches. He exchanged a look with Nagisa who was sitting on the other couch. Nagisa gave him a small nod and headed to his room.

"Gisa?" Haven asked. She didn't want to face the awkward situation of being alone with Benny.

"I just have something I need to do before tonight," Nagisa said as he walked into his room.

"Oh, okay," Haven sat on the couch where he had just been sitting. Nagisa closed the door behind him.

"Happy New Year, Benny," Haven began.

"Happy New Year," he replied. "Haven, have you had any time to think about what I said to you?"

Haven looked at her knees, "Not really."

Benny sighed. "I didn't think so, that's why I wanted to call you. Will you hear me out?" he asked her with a serious look in his eyes.

"Of course," Haven figeted.

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly. "Words aren't exactly my thing, so bear with me here. When we first met, I approached you because you were sitting alone. I mean, who wouldn't want to approach a pretty girl sitting alone? Nevermind that. Anyway, as time went on… I-I came to realize that I really liked you. Like, you never criticized me or my gaming and you were really easy to talk to, you know? I thought that you were really cool and I guess somewhere along the way I started to think that you were the girl I wanted in my life." Benny paused. "I know that you don't think of me as anything much more than a friend, but I had to tell you the truth. I had to before midnight tonight… Before you say anything else, you should know that I just want you to be happy and, if it's with him, that's alright with me."

Haven looked at him with confusion, "Him refers to whom?"

"Do you have plans tonight?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, the four of us are going to watch fireworks from the roof," Haven forced a small smile.

"Well, I hope you two have fun. I'm happy for you," he gave her a small smile.

"Eh? There will be four of us," Haven corrected him. Benny waved a hand dismissively as he showed himself out of the apartment.

* * *

That night, the four walked up to the roof to watch the firework show being held at the nearby lake.

"Come on, guys," Haven called as she ran up the steps, an excited smile on her face.

The four housemates reached the roof of the apartment complex and sat down on blankets.

"Now, we just wait," Haven's breath condensed as she exhaled. She was sitting criss-cross-applesauce with her elbows on her knees and her chin cupped in her hands. She was rocking gently from side to side, smiling contently. She didn't notice that Nagisa had sat down next to her until she rocked into him.

"Do you like New Year, Gisa?" she asked.

"I think the different customs are interesting. What about you, Haven?"

"Although I find most of the traditions surrounding it pointless, I think it's my favorite holiday," Haven smiled and looked into the sky expectantly. At the moment, all that was visible was the crescent moon.

Fia plopped down beside Karma, who was staring up at the moon with a melancholy expression. When he noticed her, he took a seat next to her.

"You aren't cold?" he asked. "I can hold your hand again~" he teased.

Blushing, she shook her head quickly and hugged Bacio close to her chest.

"You brought that thing out here…?" Karma asked with a sweat-drop.

"He!" Fia pouted. "Bacio is a he! … Yes, I thought it would be nice to let him see the fireworks too - And it's only fitting since New Year's traditionally calls for a kiss at midnight."

Karma quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, that's right. _Bacio_ means 'kisses,' right?"

She nodded. "More or less. You like the name, don't you, Angel?" Fia asked her friend for support.

"I'm not taking sides tonight," Haven smiled up at the sky serenely.

Nagisa looked at Haven with a smile. The girl was so excited for the upcoming firework show. In the moonlight, she looked like she was glowing with anticipation.

Fia laughed as she passed out the sparklers and party poppers. "Fair enough~."

Karma pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit everyone's sparklers with a satisfied smile.

Haven smiled and leaned against Nagisa as the two of them watched their sparklers in content silence.

Fia happily danced with her sparklers to the upbeat music blasting from the speakers by the lake below. Almost everyone on campus must be down there and the collective feeling of hope and excitement was making her feel absolutely ecstatic.

"' _Cause, baby, you're a firework_

 _Come on, show 'em what you're worth!_ "

Karma shook his head as the girl beside him sang her heart out. He twirled his sparkler casually in his hand.

"Woah!" Fia's eyes sparkled. "That looks so cool!" she exclaimed.

Showing off, Karma threw the sparkler from hand to hand like he might if he were handling his knife. He grinned smugly as Fia fawned over the beautiful light display. Before they knew it, they were both laughing and singing quietly together.

" _Make 'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"_

 _As you shoot across the sky-y-y!_ "

Suddenly, shouting erupted across the entire campus. "10! 9! 8! 7!"

Haven and Nagisa readied their party poppers, courtesy of Fia and Karma, as the chanted together. "6! 5! 4!"

Karma and Fia stopped their antics to watch the clear sky with anticipation. Smiling to themselves, they shouted in sync with the other. "3! 2! 1!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!" Fia jumped to her feet as she screamed and danced with the crowd below. Karma laughed up at her and placed his dying sparkler aside, pulling out a small box from his pocket instead. As his fingertips brushed a familiar silver charm, he smiled, a genuine smile, not the arrogant or self-satisfied smile he normally wore.

Haven and Nagisa cheered as they exhausted all of the party poppers they could find together. They laughed as confetti rained down all around them. They were as colorful and sparkly as they hoped the fireworks would be. Suddenly, there was a high-pitched screech and a loud boom. Golden sparks flew through the air.

"Look, Gisa!" Haven exclaimed and pointed to the explosion almost directly overhead as she turned to face him. He was closer than she had expected and their lips brushed momentarily. Haven blushed and quickly went back to watching the fireworks. Nagisa did the same with a small grin on his face.

Fia excitedly grabbed Karma's arm and bounced happily in her seat. Her eyes were lit with wonder as they reflected the blossoming flowers of light exploding the in the night sky.

"Is this where the midnight kiss comes in?" Karma laughed.

Fia giggled back. "What? I can't hear you over the fireworks!"

He leaned in and whispered in her ear what he had just asked a moment before. Her eyes widened and cheeks turned red. Grinning, he teased her more. "You said it was a tradition, didn't you?" With a smirk on his face, Karma leaned in once more, slowly enough to give her time to pull back.

"Mmph?"

Orange eyes widened as his lips came into contact with Bacio, the white guinea pig plush. He pulled away and rubbed his head before laughing. Fia's was gripping the plush tightly over her firework red face. Karma put his hand over Bacio's head and lowered the plush. Fia stared up at Karma with red cheeks and big, terrified eyes.

Karma's cheeks took on a pink tint. "Don't look at me like th - " His words were cut off as soft lips touched his cheek.

She blushed and smiled shyly. "I do love tradition…" she mumbled. "H-Happy New Year's!"

He took a second to watch the colorful flashes of light that ebbed and flowed on her skin. Touching a cheek that looked like liquid stained glass, Karma smiled. "Happy New Year's, Fia… I got something for you."

Fia tilted her head. "For me?" She felt a small box in the palm of her hand. Fia looked down and gingerly opened the box, feeling like the entire world around her had fallen away into a whispering distance, leaving just her and Karma. Reaching inside the container, Fia pulled out a palm-sized crystal flower. "What's this?" she asked quietly.

Karma reached inside his pocket and pulled out his lighter. He touched the flame to the tip of the flower and each of the petals, causing all of them to catch different colored flames. Fia gasped and Karma rubbed the back of his bed. "You said your name means 'flickering flame.' I don't think that's true. You're timid, but your kindness gives you a strength I haven't really seen in people before," he forced his thoughts out. "So long as there is something internally driving them, these flames will stay steady and won't go out. So… Have some faith in yourself, Fia."

Tears welled up in and fell from Fia's eyes. "K-Karma…"

He sweat-dropped, taken aback. "H-Hey, what did I say about crying?"

Fia quickly placed the crystal flower down and threw her arms around Karma. She buried her face in his chest and laughed, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. "Thank you, Karma! Thank you so, so much!"

"Can you believe that Haven wanted me to get you a matching spatula?" They laughed, and Karma held Fia as the two watched the finale of the fireworks show. As the last firework faded and the cloud of smoke began drifting away, they stood slowly and gathered up their things. The two descended to the familiar apartment unit of 1-11 together, humming 'Firework' all the way."

After the firework show, Nagisa pulled Haven aside. "Haven, I have something for you," Nagisa pulled a small wrapped packaged out of the pocket of his coat. "It's your Christmas present. I'm sorry it's a bit late," he gave her a small smile.

Haven began to unwrap it slowly. Inside was a plastic cell phone charm, the type that you stick in the headphone jack. It was of a pink bow, like the one she had worn to the hockey game.

"Wow, thanks so much, Gisa!" Haven exclaimed with a smile, "But I still need to get you something."

"It's okay. You've already given me something," Nagisa replied.

"Really? What?" Haven gave him a puzzled look.

Nagisa gave her a knowing smile before following Karma and Fia off the roof, touching his lips lightly.

* * *

Narrator: I live off of comments! There haven't been a lot recently, so I'm just going to warn everyone that you're kinda starving me here.

Fia: She really asked you to get me a spatula…?

Karma: Yup. Why do you ask all of a sudden?

Fia: … I need to show you the pantry… (Throws open the pantry door and a flood of green kitchenware rushes out, pooling around her feet). Every time I get Haven something, she adds to this set. I think I'm going to be set for life!

Karma: (Laughing so hard that he needs to use the wall for support)

Fia: It's not funny!

Haven: Did you not like my present, Tsu-chan?

Fia: (Sweat-drops) I love your presents, Angel. I was just thinking about how very, um, practical and like you it is to give my cooking equipment!

Haven: (Smiling) Then please expect a set of baking pans next time!

Fia: Th-Thanks, Angel…

Nagisa: Why is this chapter called X-Day Time?

Fia: How many walls are we breaking with that question?

Haven: What about with yours, Tsu-chan?

Fia: (Holds hurting head) This is confusing!

Karma: (Shoves hands in his pocket) The title refers to the fact that it's both 'X-Mas' and my 'B-Day' if that makes any sense. I like to think that X-Day means the day the Messiah of Misery was spawned.

Narrator: Next chapter the gang will be going on a training mission! You girls sacred?

Karma: (Looking ahead) They should be. Really, Teach? Why'd you bring THAT?


	21. Chapter 21: Trial Time

The four roommates and Jelavic were standing outside the training center.

"Where is he?!" Jelavic checked the time again, "It's been almost half an hour!"

Finally, they say Karasuma approaching.

"I'm sorry that I'm late," he said stiffly. There was a large bulge in his coat. Haven could swear she heard a slight whimpering from it.

"Mr. Karasuma, what's in your coat?" Nagisa asked. Suddenly, a furry head with floppy ears peeked out from Karasuma's coat collar.

"Is that a puppy?" Fia shrieked and ran over to Karasuma, beginning to fawn over the golden retriever puppy that had just crawled out of his coat.

"Tadaomi!" Irina exclaimed angrily.

He cleared his throat and looked away embarrassedly. "I couldn't resist her," he admitted as Fia stole the puppy.

"Looks like you have competition, Ms. Bitch," Karma smirked as Jelavic became angrier.

"INTO THE CAR, NOW!" Jelavic yelled and pointed to a nearby van. They all loaded up. Jelavic was in the driver seat with Haven next to her, whereas the three men, Fia, and the puppy were piled in the back seat.

"Did you seriously bring the dog along?" Karma sweatdropped as he watched them.

Haven pinched the bridge of her nose. "Mr. Karasuma, you told me not to bring any of my computer supplied with me. What will I use?" she asked.

Finally, the man snapped out of his puppy-induced haze. "The back of this van is equipped with all of the supplies you will need. Behind the curtain, you'll find all of your computers, weaponry, and any other items you might need for your mission," he explained. "We're driving to an undisclosed location where men from our department will be posing as your targets. Jelavic and I will help guide you through if you need it, but our involvement will be minimal. This is about seeing how you work as a team. Here are the files about your targets and other information you'll need," he handed each person a file.

"The first person out will be Fia. Her primary task is reconnaissance, setting up the hidden cameras, microphones, and trackers that are necessary. While she does this, Haven will gather all the other technical information and perform the hacking necessary. After Fia returns to the van, Karma and Nagisa will head out. Keeping in communication with Haven, they will take out the target. Fia will keep Haven covered here. Are there any questions?"

Fia paled and gingerly closed the folder in her lap. "Just one… What is Ms. Jelavic going to force me to wear?"

The blonde woman shot Fia a devilish smile in the rear-view mirror. "You should probably change now~."

She sighed and made her way into the back of the van, holding onto the seats to keep her balance in the moving vehicle. Shortly after she disappeared behind the curtain, Fia sighed very audibly. "H-How is this p-professional?! Aren't I supposed to be a secretary?!"

Jelavic frowned. "Call it the attire of a 'personal' office assistant. That's from my personal collection, so stop complaining."

"I-If you say so…" Fia came out from behind the red curtain with a blush rushing to her cheeks. She pulled down on the slitted white short skirt and pulled her white jacket tighter over a lacy black undershirt. "Is this necessary?" she asked timidly.

Everyone but Jelavic sweatdropped.

"Wow, you're filling that out almost as well as I did," Irina smirked as she looked at Fia in the rear-view mirror, "I was your age when I wore that."

She smiled bashfully. "U-Um… Thanks? That doesn't explain why everyone is staring at me though…" Fia subconsciously crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Isn't that…?" Nagisa started.

"Yep. It's Ms. Bitch's outfit from when she was our middle school teacher," Karma confirmed.

The color drained out of Fia's face and Karasuma sighed as Jelavic began laughing. "You'll just have to educate the boys on how much you've learned under my care!"

Soon enough, Jelavic made a sharp right turn and pulled into the parking lot of an office building. With the tires screeching in protest to her rough handling, she brought the car to a stop in a more shadowed area of the lot. Karasuma passed out com units to each of the housemates. As Fia finished equipping her com unit and allowed her hair to hide it from view, Karasuma nodded at Fia and handed her a purse packed with the gear she would need.

"Does everyone remember their code names?" Karasuma asked.

"Nope!" Karma laughed.

"I'm Ice Queen," Haven piped up from the front seat.

"I thought you were Wall," Karma smirked, "'Cause you're as flat and as dense as one."

Haven shot ice daggers at him with her eyes, "Whatever you say, Mr. President."

Fia groaned. "Which one of you guys suggested Thyme?"

"I thought it was Jela-Junior," Karma teased.

Nagisa looked curiously to Haven. "Weren't you calling him Satan before?"

"Yeah, but he lies like a politician," Haven replied.

Fia blushed. "Wait, was Romeo and Juliet supposed to refer to Karma and I?!"

Haven whistled innocently.

She sighed at her roommate. "But who am I supposed to be…? Romeo was the one who poisoned himself. Juliet had his dagger!"

"Juliet, obviously!" Haven replied.

Fia beamed. "That makes me the badass one! In your face, Karma! Or should I say, Romeo?"

"Seriously, just say your code names," Karasuma sighed.

Nagisa shook his head. "Notebook."

Blushing, Fia muttered "I'm Chem."

Haven sighed. "I already said Ice Queen."

"Mr. President," Karma smirked as he locked his hands behind his head.

"Still gonna call you Satan," Haven grumbled.

Karasuma nodded in approval. "Remember, I'm Chief and Irina is - "

"Hella-bitch?" Karma suggested with a smug grin.

"HEY!" Jelavic angrily turned in her seat and tried to yell at the arrogant boy, but she stopped herself when Karasuma put up a hand.

"Irina is Monroe," Karasuma said sternly. "This mission has to begin. Place bugs in the most crowded rooms and put a tracker on the target. Haven will hack into the security cameras," Karasuma requested as the door closest to Fia opened.

"Good luck, Tsu-chan~" Haven called.

Fia sweat-dropped. "I-It's Chem…" With that, Fia hopped out of the van and began walking towards the elevator. The clicking of her heels faded as she disappeared from the sight of those situated in the van. From somewhere in Karasuma's jacket, the puppy whined slightly.

* * *

"Ice Queen, go to the back and start working," Karasuma said, "You'll find all of the equipment you'll need back there." Haven crawled to the back of the van and into the curtained off section.

"This'll be perfect," she called as she opened the curtains. She was seated on a swiveling stool. Behind her was a matrix of about twelve screens, a keyboard and a mouse. Haven turned to face the screens and started typing furiously. "Just an FYI, I'm introducing Wally to these computers!" she said before giggling sinisterly.

* * *

Fia was surprised by how easy it had been to pick up a stack of papers and a coffee from a random desk. It certainly had made her look more natural in this office setting. She was grateful to fit in. It had made bugging the last couple of open locations easier.

Glancing quickly at the room numbers posted to each door as she walked down the hall, she located Meeting Room 3. Fia peered inside and found that it was empty so she quickly slipped inside and stuck a mic to the back of the presentation board like she had been instructed. She quickly walked out and moved down the hallway as she searched for their target's actual office.

"Excuse me, Miss."

Fia turned around to see a large man approaching her. "C-Can I help you?" she asked tentatively as she slipped a hand carefully behind her. Fingering the lining of her hidden garter for her weapon of choice, Fia smiled innocently.

He raised an eyebrow. "I haven't seen you around here before."

She forced herself to become flustered as she strategically placed a hand over her heart. She knew these guys were trained to be particularly observant, and she hoped it would work to her advantage. Fia watched his gaze follow her hands and she smiled inwardly. Externally, she gave the larger man a bashful smile. "I'm new, actually." Approaching him, she continued, "Today's my first day. You're very observant… I like that in a man," Fia placed her hand on his chest.

"Flirting isn't permitted on the job, Miss," the embarrassed guard grumbled.

"It's not flirting if we go all the way," she whispered seductively as she ran her finger along his lip.

A short time later, a panicked Fia struggled to drag the paralyzed guard down the hall without being noticed.

"I didn't know!" she protested quietly into her com.

Jelavic sighed. "You can't just go knocking people out all willy-nilly. If you can manipulate and get away, then do so."

"O-Okay…" Fia opened a storage closet and struggled to push the much larger man inside. She had to use her back to shove him into the cramped space and her heels slid against the tiled floor as she pushed. Finally, with a great heave, Fia was able to slam the door to the closet shut. She brushed off her hands and turned to leave with a satisfied smile when she heard a creak. Suddenly, the man's heavy body fell on her. Startled, frustrated, and flattened against the floor, Fia shrieked.

"Calm down, Chem! You're going to attract attention!" Haven worriedly warned.

A small crowd of office employees gathered in front of Fia. Sweat-dropping, she leaned against the heavy closet door to keep it shut and, more importantly, keep its bodily contents out of sight. She laughed embarrassedly. "I'm sorry, I-I thought I saw a m-mouse," she apologized quickly, trying to ignore all of Karma's snickering that could be heard over the coms.

Most of the people in the crowd were good-natured about what happened and left without a second thought. As soon as there was no one else left in sight, Fia pushed hard against the closet until she was satisfied that it was shut. Concerned about the mission's time constraints, she quickly scurried off. As she rounded the corner, however, Fia heard the familiar, dreaded squeak of the closet door and a substantial thud.

"Oh, fuck it," she muttered as she hastily searched for the target's office. Fia found the office deep within the building and rushed towards it, only to bump into someone hard at the entrance. "Ow!" Fia cried as she hit the floor. She looked up and sweat-dropped. Of course, with her luck, the person she ended up running into was their target.

The man extended his hand to Fia. "Oops, I'm sorry about that."

Fia carefully took his hand and stood. "N-No, that was my fault. I shouldn't have been running." She blushed and straightened her clothes out.

"Did you need something?" he asked.

"H-Huh?" Fia realized that her bee-lining for the office was a major red flag. She chastised herself in her mind but put on a worried face. "Yes, Sir." Fia placed her hand on his back and pointed down the hall. "A man just collapsed over there! I was looking for a security guard." She wore a flustered and concerned expression. "Please, help him!" she begged.

The man was taken aback but he nodded and motioned for some people to follow him as they went to investigate the hall. Fia exhaled slowly in relief and prayed that the tracker she put on the back of his collar would stick. She also hoped that the man by the closet wouldn't have too much of a concussion by the end of the day.

"Tracker has activated," Haven reported.

"Got it, Ice Queen," Fia whispered as she slipped down an empty corridor and made her way back towards the van.

Fia threw herself into the vehicle with a loud huff. Her gaze fell on Karma first.

The redhead smirked. "A guy just collapsed down there, huh?"

Her cheeks flushed. "Sh-Shut up! Just get moving a-already!"

* * *

"Mr. President, turn right," Haven said calmly.

"Nah, I think I'll head left." Haven could hear the smirk in his voice.

"MR. PRESIDENT! That will get you caught. I did not put the video feeds in that section on loop," Haven gritted her teeth. This was the third time he had failed to follow her instructions.

"But isn't it your job to keep that from happening?"

Fia sighed from where she was sitting next to Haven. "Mr. President. I hate to inform you, but I do know where you stash your weapons of mass torture. Please, just listen to Ice Queen already. How are you holding up, Notebook?"

"It's a little hard to focus with the bickering over the coms," he admitted with a dry laugh.

"You're still a ways from the target, but he should be in the office on the next floor. Just get up the stairs without being noticed and you're home free. The staircase is to the right. Also, there's a bug on the cabinet to your left. Get it."

"Got it," Nagisa replied through the coms and his tracker began moving towards the stairs.

Haven sighed. "Why can't Mr. President be as cooperative as Notebook?"

"You know, I can hear you, Ice Queen," Karma grumbled in annoyance.

"Yes, I know perfectly well," Haven replied.

Fia sweat-dropped. "Mr. President is cooperative only when he really wants to be, but he can be a good teammate!" she protested. The stress caused by their bickering could be heard through her shaky voice. "Can you please not go out of your way to prove me wrong, Mr. President?"

* * *

Karasuma nodded as Jelavic drove the car out of the lot and back onto the busy highway. "Not bad for your first day," he commented. "We still have a lot of work to do, but with more training, I think you'll be ready to perform on actual missions soon enough."

Jelavic frowned slightly. "Fia, you have a LOT of work to do. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're Felicia's sister. But…" She smiled more softly. "That wasn't an atrocious job for someone with your level of anxiety."

Fia sighed in relief and sunk into her seat. "Got it…" She noticed Karma's blatant smirk. "What's that face for?" Fia grumbled.

He stuck his tongue out. "We could hear everything you told that guard~."

Her cheeks reddened. "Don't eavesdrop!"

He laughed. "It's kind of hard not to! How'd you knock him out anyway?"

Fia kicked her shoes off and rubbed her blistering feet together. Shooting him a fairly irritated glance, she pulled out a small jar from her garter. "Do you really want to know?" Fia unscrewed the lid and the faintest scent of cherry floated through the van.

Karma laughed. "Is that lip balm? What do you do, kiss your victims to death?"

Extremely irked by his commentary, Fia elbowed him. "I'm not feeling up to this today, so I'd appreciate it if you'd just be quiet." she muttered.

"I'm awfully fascinated though," Karma began. "How do you get anything done in this line of work, Tsu-chan?" he teased. "You're turning red even now!"

Jelavic's eyes met Fia's through the rearview mirror and the teacher nodded. Fia grabbed the back of the seat for support and swung herself onto Karma's lap.

"What are you doing?" Karma would have taken the opportunity to tease her if not for the fact that he knew Fia had some form of poison on her body and the fact that she looked uncharacteristically irritated. Before he could say another word, he felt a finger running along his lips. Realizing his mistake, Karma tried to push Fia off but she tapped his mouth in a way that made him accidentally touch his tongue to his lips.

"I told you not to mess with me today," Fia huffed as she returned to her seat.

Karma held his hand over his mouth and moved to retaliate but his vision blurred. As his hand fell away from his face, he slumped over, unable to move or keep consciousness.

Karasuma looked to Jelavic. "Irina, when did we authorize her the use of unknown substances?"

Jelavic shot him a look. "I did, while you were prancing with your puppy. Where is the damn thing, anyway?"

Nagisa sweat-dropped as the puppy yipped from atop his head. "I think she's here…"

Karasuma's face became scarily stern as he tried to restrain himself from petting the puppy. It only relaxed once Nagisa handed him the dog with a wary laugh.

The bluenette looked from Karasuma to Fia, crossing her arms and staring out the window, to Karma. "Is he going to be okay?"

Fia nodded. "It's just a paralytic," she grumbled. "Sorry for acting out…"

"It's not like Akabane didn't have it coming to him," Haven replied.

Nagisa smiled wryly. "Are you alright, Fia? You seem really tense…"

She rubbed the back of her head. "I could have done a lot better today… I know it's a learning experience in preparation for the real deal, but Karma just really wouldn't quit it!" Fia groaned in frustration. "Since the New Year, it seems like he's going out of his way to annoy me! It's been a month and I guess I finally got fed up…"

Karasuma sighed. "Do we need to complete some cooperation and trust exercises?"

The three conscious people in the back seat sweat-dropped and shook their heads together.

* * *

Carrying Karma on his back, Karasuma entered apartment unit 1-11. "Where do I put him?"

Fia pointed to the couch. "He spends a lot of his time there, anyway." She turned into her room to change. It didn't take her long at all to return with Jelavic's clothes in hand.

Nagisa sighed softly. "It just occurred to me that this is one of the longest amount of times we've gone without some form of harassment or arguing."

"That's because Akabane is out like a light," Haven said flatly.

Karasuma placed Karma on the couch and Fia draped a blanket over his limp body.

"That's some powerful chemical, you have there," Karasuma rubbed the back of his neck. "Our science department could learn a thing or two from you. Needless to say, you must be careful with that."

Nodding in understanding, Fia pocketed her lip balm. "Of course."

Haven shook her head slightly. "Maybe we should just use that every time Akabane acts out."

"Maybe we shouldn't," Nagisa laughed with a sweat-drop. "We would have to keep him knocked out around the clock."

"I will see you at the next training session. Good work today." Karasuma opened the front door and paused. "Try not to kill each other before then," he added before the door swung shut with a loud thud that echoed throughout the hall.

* * *

Karma: (Rubs eyes groggily and sits up slowly)

Fia: Morning, Sleeping Beauty…

Karma: (Crankily) You know, I'm getting real tired of being called that.

Haven: Maybe you've finally learned not to mess with Tsu-chan too much, Akabane.

Nagisa: I somehow still doubt that. Maybe we should have taken Karasuma up on his offer.

Fia: (Smiles knowingly at Haven) I have a better idea!

Karma: (Dark smile) Does it involve payback for knocking me out?

Fia: N-Narrator!

Narrator: Sorry, not sorry. You had it coming. In the next chapter, please expect lots of earnestly-made puns and a roaring good time!

Haven: Also just in case they ask, the neighbors think you passed out because you got drunk.

Karma: THEY WHAT?!


	22. Chapter 22: Lion Dance Time

"There's a Chinese New Year celebration near campus and students get free admission!" Fia announced with a smile.

"That sounds fun," Nagisa replied, "Where's Haven?"

"She said she had something to do today and left really early," Fia replied. "I'll get the tickets for us! Where's Karma?"

The redhead walked out from his room. "Speak of the devil and he shall come," he grinned.

Fia shook her head with a smile. "I can see that. Karma, do you want to go to the Chinese New Year festival?"

He locked his hands behind his head with an indifferent expression. "I think I'll just stay here."

She tried to hide her disappointment. "O-Oh, alright…"

Nagisa held his chin contemplatively. "Karma, won't you get bored? Fia and I will probably be gone all day."

Karma smirked. "If you wanted me to go, you should have just said so."

His housemates exchanged wry smiles and laughed dryly.

* * *

Three pairs of eyes explored the large room. The festival was being held in one of the large community centers just a little way from campus. Lanterns were strewn from the ceiling and colorful, lively stalls created a maze of entertainment. Demonstrations were happening in sectioned-off areas and music, both traditional and popular, blasted through the stage speakers.

Excited, Fia grabbed onto Nagisa's arm and pulled him towards the stands. As the two happily chattered about what they were seeing as Karma lazily followed them through the crowds. It wasn't exactly his thing, but the atmosphere was still enjoyable to an extent.

"What does that character mean?" Nagisa asked Fia, who was holding a copper charm.

"It means 'Family' according the vendor, but I might want to get 'Faith,'" she explained. "Which one are you holding?"

"Courage," he said happily.

Fia and Karma peered over Nagisa's shoulder to see the charm in his palm.

"That's really cool!" Fia complemented the charm with a smile.

"It looks like it has your pigtails, Nagisa," Karma laughed. "How fitting."

Nagisa sweat-dropped at Karma's comment and put it back on the display board. "Are you getting something, Karma?"

"Nah, I already have everything I need," he replied. Karma slipped his hand into his pocket to find his dagger keychain waiting for him. "Where to next?"

The trio made their way through each stand, admiring different types of objects, clothing, and food.

Fia and Nagisa had a blast trying on different types of traditional clothing. While Fia was trying on different hair accessories, Nagisa admired the fans and Karma tried on different masks. Holding a fierce dragon mask to his face, Karma tapped on Fia's shoulder and leaned closer to her.

She turned around and jumped. "EEP!" It took Fia a few moments to recover, but when she did, she playfully pushed Karma and laughed. "Don't scare me like that!"

Karma and Nagisa simultaneously grabbed Fia and pulled her back towards them as a dazzling dragon handled by at least ten people danced past. Gasps escaped from the crowds as they were all dumbstruck with awe at its magnificence. Fia was no exception. Her eyes sparkled as she excitedly jumped up and down. Ever so subtly, Karma stole a few pictures with his phone and a contented smile.

Satisfied that they had thoroughly explored all of the stands, Karma, Nagisa, and Fia bought some Chinese food to share. They took seats around a table in front of the performance stage and watched the beautifully-choreographed dances as well as the animated, powerful drum performances.

The lion dancing was amazing. The tempo of the drums changed and five, festively-decorated lions emerged from a back entrance. The pairs manning each lion costume made their lion come to life, blinking their eyelids over the mesmerizing lights the lions had for eyes, flicking their ears, and moving their maws. Each lion leapt and danced their way through the stalls and towards the stage.

"What's up with that one?" Karma asked as a black and white lion with a particularly active backside danced past.

Fia covered her mouth with her hand. "It looks like it's twerking…" she mumbled.

Karma laughed and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, it kind of does!"

The bluenette sweat-dropped. "Come on, guys. It's not that bad…" He followed the lion's movements with his eyes and soon became really dizzy. "Okay, m-maybe it is…"

The lions meandered to the stage and began dancing on it. They rolled over and lay down, and got back up. The lions reared, uncovering the front dancers' heads for a few moments. Underneath the black and white lion from earlier, appeared a familiar white-haired person.

Nagisa and Karma exchanged glances and then looked at Fia. "Wasn't that Haven?"

Fia nodded with a happy expression. "She's a lion dancer. Did I forget to mention that?"

Nagisa scribbled something down in his notebook and smiled. "That explains your birthday gift to her."

Olive eyes glittered. "You noticed!"

Suddenly, the music changed again and a group of people, each holding cabbage attached to long poles, moved onto the stage.

Leaning in to talk to Fia over the loud music, Nagisa asked, "What are they doing?"

Fia pointed at the cabbages. "The lions 'eat' the cabbage and then spit them out over the audience for good luck. Or something like that," she giggled.

The black and white lion that Haven was in grabbed the cabbage and, in sync with the other lions, made the shredded cabbages rain over the nearby audience. The crowd broke into laughter and applause, but it should be noticed that the black and white lion, standing directly in front of the housemates' table, had rained cabbage down on everyone except a particular redhead. While everyone applauded, he raised a middle finger to the stage. The dance ended with the lions lined up next to each other, each one holding a bright red banner with golden calligraphy on it as the curtain fell.

Sweat-dropping, Fia picked some cabbage out of her hair and blew it at Karma with a meek smile. He shot her a look, then sighed, nodding in appreciation. He was totally going to find Haven after this.

* * *

"Hey, Haven, good job!" an asian boy came up and gave her a big pat on the back.

"Yeah, yeah.. Don't you have a martial arts demonstration to prepare for?" Haven asked with slight annoyance. "And you were too excited. The lion looked weird."

"Ah, come on, I'm not lion when I say it was fun!" the boy replied.

Haven face-palmed, "Get over to the martial arts demo, NOW."

The three spotted Haven and ran over.

"Well, see you later, Haven," the boy gave her a big hug.

"You're suffocating me!" Haven tried to pry the larger boy off. He let go and ran off into the crowd, waving.

"Who was that?" Karma asked as he pointed in the direction that the boy had just run off.

"None of your business, Akabane," Haven replied flatly.

"He looks like the guy on your computer wall paper," Nagisa commented.

"It is," Haven replied.

Without another word, Haven turned and made her way over to the area where the martial arts demonstration was being held. The other three followed her quickly in hope that they wouldn't miss out. The crowd oohed and ahhed as the two in the matted arena sparred. One was Haven's acquaintance and partner from the lion dance, the other was a boy slightly older than him.

"Did that one just wink at you?" Nagisa sweat-dropped.

"I think so," Haven nodded her head.

Finally, the match ended with the older boy on the mat.

"Any of you want to match me?" the victor asked. Most of the crowd stepped back or shook their heads.

Karma raised his hand with a smirk, "I do."

Haven put her arm in front of him, blocking his way. "I will," Haven walked into the arena.

"Ah! Come on, how am I supposed to fight a girl like you?" the boy asked.

"Because I can beat you up," Haven replied with a slight smile as she got into position, "and you winked at me."

"Well, if you're certain. I will give you an earnest fight," the boy smiled back.

"That was cruel and unusual 'pun'-ishment," Haven smiled. Nobody in the audience got what they were talking about.

Fia and Nagisa exchanged concerned glances but said nothing as they watched the fight unfold. Karma readied his sharp, orange eyes to carefully observe each fighter's every move.

Haven walked towards the boy and attempted a punch. He blocked and made a counter attack, which Haven dodged.

Fia was getting nervous as the pair exchanged blows. They were fairly equally matched, so the fight seemed to be dragging a little bit longer than the boy's first match had. She gripped the wooden beam holding back the crowd tightly and leaned forward to try and get a closer look. Suddenly, she heard splintering and Fia found herself falling face-first onto the mats. She somehow ended up in the center of the ring, right between Haven and her opponent. The two stopped fighting and went to help her.

"Tsu-chan?" Haven asked.

She rubbed her butt. "O-ow…" Fia looked around and was mortified to find that all eyes were on her. She glanced between the surprised fighters. "I'm s-so sorry! I-I didn't m-mean to interrupt the m-match!"

The boy extended a hand to her. "Are you okay?" he asked. "That looked like a hard fall." Tapping the mat with his foot, he added "The fight hardly mat-ters if someone got hurt."

Fia accepted his help and brushed herself off. Embarrassedly and shyly, she asked, "Are you sure?"

"It's all for the best," the boy smiled, "I didn't want to fight her anyway, 'cause in a way, it would kill me to see her get hurt." He gave Haven a lopsided smile.

"Just stop with the puns," Haven sighed, "No one is getting them."

Looking between Haven and her opponent in confusion, Fia quickly exited from the arena and hid behind Nagisa and Karma from the blatant stares of the other audience members.

"Are you alright?" Nagisa asked.

Fia nodded slowly, still not releasing her grip on either of the boys' arms. Karma crossed his arms and, in doing so, lightly placed his hand over Fia's. The gesture contrasted with the smug grin on his face that read "Yeah, your fall was as embarrassing as you thought."

Nagisa observed Haven and the boy as they talked in the middle of ring. "That's the same guy from the lion dancing, isn't it? They look really close," he noted quietly.

Fia's and Karma's gazes met, then turned back to where the mysterious boy was waving Haven off and exiting with the rest of his martial arts group. Haven returned to her housemates with an unreadable expression.

"I'm tired. Let's go back now."

* * *

Holding a flyer in her hand, Fia approached Haven. "Hey, Angel? What's the Chinese lantern festival about?"

"It's the last day of the Chinese New Year. The holiday technically lasts 15 days," Haven said.

She smiled. "I know it's been a long week for you, but do you want to go?" Her eyes shone with a hint of hope.

"I have to. There's more lion dancing," Haven sighed, "Hopefully my partner isn't as enthusiastic."

Fia laughed. "He's not going to twerk again, is he?"

Haven gave her a flat look, "I certainly hope not."

It wasn't long until the day of the festival rolled around. Fia frowned in front of her mirror as Haven donned her black and white lion dancing pants.

"Angel, what am I supposed to wear?" she frowned slightly. Normally, she wouldn't have cared, but Jelavic and Felicia's constant lecturing was finally starting to get to her.

"Something comfortable and warm? It's still rather cold and this festival is held outside," Haven sighed.

"You alright, Angel?" Fia asked as she pulled on a warm white sweater and fluffy green scarf."

"You lucky people who get to bundle up," Haven grumbled.

She smiled wryly. "You can't wear a sweater under that costume of yours?"

"It's not exactly permitted for this routine," Haven sighed.

"I'll bring you a jacket for before and after then," Fia smiled.

True to her word, she draped Haven's jacket over her arms as she, Haven, Nagisa, and Karma found their way to the location of the lantern festival. It was late afternoon, but they were hoping to explore the stands before the releasing of the lanterns after dark. As soon as they got to the festival, Haven ran off.

"I'll find you after the dancing," Haven called as she disappeared into the crowd.

"We'll go see some of the stands before we check out the lion dancing," Nagisa explained. "Does that sound like a good plan?"

Fia nodded while Karma shrugged indifferently. With that, the three took to exploring the stands. It was very similar to the stands they had been to at the convention center, but there were more food, games, and informational stands here.

After trying their hand at Chinese calligraphy, which came much more naturally to the boys than it did Fia - hers looked trampled flowers, the trio made their way over to watch the Chinese Yo-Yo demonstrations.

"Would you like to try?" a few small children asked with smiles.

"Sure!" the housemates smiled together.

After dropping his blue yo-yo more than a few times, Nagisa had finally begun to make some sense of the more simple tricks the children were showing him. Karma seemed to have a little less trouble with his red yo-yo than Nagisa had with his and soon took to entertaining a few of the small girls who had gathered around him. Fia, realizing that she had an extremely difficult time with the yo-yos, opted to sit with the children around Karma. She clapped happily for him.

Nagisa approached Fia with a friendly smile. "Would you like me to show you how to do it?" he asked.

Her face lit up and she got to her feet. "Please and thank you!"

After completing another showy toss and catch, Karma scanned his audience. He found Nagisa and Fia standing off towards a corner. The two seemed to be laughing as Fia tried to untangle herself from the yo-yo string. Once free, Fia handed Nagisa her green yo-yo and shook her head. Karma was fascinated to see Fia run off and quickly run back with a silver tray. The girl bowed and then began creating tricks of her own with the tray, a few of which they had seen in one of the dances before the lion dance. The two laughed again and Karma handed his yo-yo to a kid at his side. Ruffling the kids' hair, he made his way over to Fia and Nagisa.

"Having fun?" Karma asked as he neared the pair.

Having stacked the yo-yos on top of the tray on top of her head, Fia curtsied to Karma in greeting. "Yup~!"

Nagisa smiled and helped Fia remove the objects from her head before turning to Karma. "Ready to go check out the riddle lanterns? I hear those are really popular at this festival."

Karma grabbed Fia's shoulders and pulled her through the tightly-packed crowd. Nagisa led the way to where the riddle lanterns were, but he stopped as he approached them.

"Isn't that Haven?" the bluenette asked, pointing towards a white-haired girl, dressed in festive black and white pants, standing by the lanterns.

She was looking at a certain riddle lantern with a thoughtful expression on her face when two hands covered her eyes. After a few seconds, she lifted them off and turned around to reprimand the boy behind her who was wearing matching pants. He laughed it off and gave her a quick hug. Then she turned back around and pulled the slip of paper off of the lantern and headed to the lantern owner.

Noticing the boys' curious expressions, Fia quickly explained how the riddle lanterns worked. Haven had done the same for her two years before, and she did her best to do the tradition justice.

Nodding in understanding, the boys turned to try the lanterns out for themselves. Nagisa had hoped to talk to Haven, but she and the other black-haired boy had already disappeared. He sighed and contented himself to wait until the lion dance was finished.

There were several short columns placed on the temporary platform where the demonstrations were being held. Momentarily, loud clangs and bangs were heard, proclaiming the start of the lion dancing. The lions made their way through the crowd and to the stage where several of them, including a very familiar black one, began balancing on top of the columns. From atop the columns, several lions went up on their back legs by placing the front dancer on the back dancer's shoulders. Haven's lion was one of the three that did so.

Fia clapped happily to the music and she watched her friend with pride. Nagisa watched the black lion too, but he wore a much softer expression than his excited female counterpart. Karma just shook his head with a smile. He crossed his arms atop Fia's head and leaned against her like a desk. The happy girl shrugged it off and kept cheering until the finale of the dance.

The lion dance ended with the lions being set on the stage and the dancers coming to the front to bow. All of them wore the same sleeveless outfit except the color of their pants.

* * *

"I'll be able to hang out with you guys now!" Haven ran up to her friends in her coat and a pair of normal pants. "Who wants to eat yuanxiao?" Haven grabbed her friends and dragged them to a booth where they were selling food. "Five servings of yuanxiao, please!" Haven asked and handed over some money. In return she got five bowls of round, white balls in a clear liquid.

Fia smiled and gratefully accepted a bowl from Haven. "Thanks, Angel!"

Karma stared skeptically down at his bowl. "What's in it?" He leaned down and ate one of the white dumplings out of Fia's hand. "Don't mind if I do~."

Fia watched the dumpling disappear into Karma's mouth and her gaze followed his adam's apple as he swallowed it. She wasn't sure if she should feel embarrassed by Karma's behavior or devastated by the loss of her precious dumpling. Either way, she wasn't exactly enthusiastic. "KARMA! Wh-What are you doing?"

He laughed and switched their bowls so that she would have a full set of five again. "Testing for poison~."

She paled. "SO YOU'D LET ME EAT THE POISONED ONES!"

Grinning smugly, he retorted with "You can just use your wicked chemistry skills to come up with an antidote!"

Fia stomped her foot in a fluster. "THAT'S N-NOT HOW IT WORKS!"

Nagisa laughed at the two's friendly bantering. It was much better that they were playfully messing with each other than actually trying to get on each other's nerves. This was a pleasant change from last month.

Suddenly, Haven squeaked as the bowl in front of her disappeared. "Who said you could take that!" she protested to the guy standing next to her.

"Why else would you have two bowls?" he smiled and laughed.

"Maybe I was planning to eat both." she pouted.

"You'll get more later at my mom's house. She'll kill you if you don't come," he popped one in his mouth and patted her on the head.

"Bug off!" Haven replied with a slightly smaller pout.

"Oh, come on! You don't completely hate my 'ant'-ics," he laughed. "Besides, we're supposed to eat them for togetherness or something, right?"

"You don't even believe in that stuff!" she said as she tried to elbow him.

"I get it, I get it, I'm going," he began walking away with the bowl, "Don't forget to find me later tonight!"

"As if you'd let me," Haven called after him. She stuck her tongue out before turning around and to eat the rest of her food.

Fia looked between Haven and the boy disappearing into a nearby crowd. "We've seen him a lot lately… Who is that, Angel?"

"He's the rear half of the lion," she replied, "We've been paired up since we were little kids." Haven smiled as she reminisced.

She giggled. "That sounds really cute… Does the backside have a name?"

"Earnest," Haven laughed.

Nagisa's smile faltered. That was Earnest…?

Fia smiled. "Well, he does seem earnest to say the least!"

"Yes, he really is, and he loves the pun as well."

She covered her mouth with a hand to stifle a giggle. "Why didn't you introduce us sooner!"

"Cause two punny people together would be torture."

Karma frowned slightly and Nagisa shifted uncomfortably, even as the girls continued to laugh lightly.

"What do you guys think of the yuanxiao?" Haven asked as she popped another one in her mouth.

Fia shot Karma a dirty look. "I dunno. I haven't had the chance to try one yet."

"Then be my guest." Karma smirked as he shoved a dumpling into Fia's open mouth.

Resembling a squirrel with puffed-up cheeks, Fia chewed slowly. Her eyes widened and slowly began to sparkle. "Rish sho tashphy!" she declared with her mouth full.

Haven smiled, "I'm glad you like it Tsu-chan! What about you, Gisa?"

He nodded and smiled slightly. "It's good! What's in it?"

"Sesame paste," Haven replied.

Karma sighed and held a dumpling up to the light. "Togetherness, huh…?"

"Did you say something?" Fia smiled up at Karma as she finished her last dumpling.

He smiled and held out his bowl to her. "No, not really."

Fia's grin widened as she grabbed a white dumpling. " _Grazie~!_ " Although it wasn't traditional, Fia touched her dumpling to Karma's in a toast of sorts. "To being with friends and loved ones!"

* * *

As the light began to fade, the four made their way to where the lanterns would be set off.

Nagisa surveyed the scene. "Do the lanterns symbolize anything?" he asked Haven.

"Yes. Hmmm…" she thought for a moment, "Lighting one is mainly a way to hope for a smooth future."

Fia bounced on her heels. "Where do we get them?" She intently gazed at people passing by with their lanterns already in hand.

"Almost any booth will sell you one today," Haven smiled, "Just wait here!" When she came back, she was carrying something the size and shape of a small clothes hamper. "Here we are, a typical lantern," she smiled.

Fia's jaw fell slack. "That's huge! I should have stayed for the lantern launching last year…"

"Let's find a place to send this one off." Haven walked around until she found a spot next to the river. "Here's great! Three of us will take a side of the lantern while the fourth lights it. This way the whole lantern won't catch on fire."

Karma pulled a lighter from his pocket and handed it to Fia. "Here."

Her eyes widened. "Me?"

Nagisa laughed lightly. "Sometimes, you really are the glue of the household. It's only fitting."

Fia smiled happily and glomped her three housemates. "I LOVE YOU GUYS!"

"Tsu-chan, you're kind of smothering me!"

Karma laughed with a growing smirk. "Was that a confession?"

The bluenette sweat-dropped with pinkish cheeks. "You're kind of smothering me too…"

"Oh!" Fia let go and laughed embarrassedly. "Sorry, guys! Ready to light the lantern~?" she smiled blissfully.

The three got into position.

"You'll see a ring down there. Light that," Haven instructed.

" _Si_ , I see it!" Fia reached over and carefully lit the ring. Her expression became illuminated as if to mirror the glowing lantern. "Wow! It's so pretty!"

"Now, we all hold it until it fills with warm air," Haven's smile was also illuminated by the lantern.

Haven and Karma made room so that Fia could squeeze in and grab the lantern too. Once it was filled with hot air, they grabbed the rim of the lantern and lifted it slowly into the sky where it and several dozen other lanterns floated serenely on the wind.

Fia's eyes glittered and she leaned against Karma as she admired the floating lights. "They're like fireflies…" she mumbled happily.

"Look into the river," Haven smiled at the reflection of the lanterns.

Nagisa wrapped his scarf tighter around himself and smiled serenely as he watched the crowds of lanterns and people move about him, each with their own happy light.

She gasped audibly when she saw the mirror-like surface of the water. Fia ran to the riverbed and crouched down. Hesitantly, Fia cupped her hands in the frigid water. She hadn't wanted to disturb the beautiful image with ripples, but she had to have a piece of it in her own hands. Laughing, she slowly let the water cascade back into the river like glittering waterfalls.

"You're going to get frostbite," Karma called.

Fia came bounding back and splashed some of the cold water dripping from her hands at him. She giggled. "It was worth it!"

Karma shook his head and gave her his gloves. "Am I always going to have to do this for you?"

She laughed happily. "As long as we're together, you will. I hope that's for a long time to come!"

They hadn't noticed Haven slip away until they saw her standing a little ways away, readying to launch another lantern with Earnest. She was smiling as the two lifted it into the sky.

Nagisa's gaze fell and his smile faltered. "Those two really are close, aren't they…?"

"Hey, guys, go on home without me. It's a tradition for us to go eat with our families after the festival," Haven told them.

Waving exaggeratedly in her enthusiasm, Fia called "See you later, Angel! Say 'hi' to your mom for me!"

"I will!" Haven called as she walked away with Earnest. He slung his arm around her shoulder and they disappeared into the crowd.

Noticing the boys' solemn expressions, Fia grabbed both of their arms. "C'mon, guys. We're family too! So let's go home~." Not waiting for an answer, Fia began toting them back to their apartment.

* * *

Karma: (Sweat-drops) Fia, what are you doing…?

Fia: I don't want Earnest to beat me out on puns!

Karma: You're kidding, right?

Nagisa: I wish she was… She's been trying them out on me since we got back!

Karma: Do I even want to hear them?

Nagisa: (Putting his hand over Fia's mouth) No. You really don't. Hey, is Earnest Haven's boyfriend?

Fia: (Exchanges a glance with Karma) I really don't know… They seem close, but I really couldn't tell you.

Karma: What will you do if he is Haven's boyfriend, Nagisa?

Nagisa: I'm just curious, that's all.

Karma: (Sniffing the air)

Fia: What are you doing?

Karma: Is that… denial that I smell?

Nagisa: (blushes) What are you talking about?

Narrator: (sigh) These four and their blind spots. Chapter 23 will be a noteworthy chapter. Look forward to it!


	23. Chapter 23: Investigation Time

The Chinese New Year celebrations had put Fia into a lasting good mood. Feeling inspired to cook up Chinese food, something new to her, she went into the kitchen and opened up some cabinets to look for her collection of cookbooks. Fia reached up to grab a book from the tallest shelf but her fingers brushed against something smaller, something smaller that fluttered and fell onto her head.

"Ow…" Fia mumbled as she rubbed her head and reached down to retrieve the object off of the floor. Her eyes widened as she realized it was a notebook. Glancing at the page, Fia read "Fia gets easily embarrassed over just about anything." Her cheeks flushed. The next note read, "She has a special affinity for cute things. It's almost obsessive." Confused and embarrassed, Fia ran to her bedroom to find Haven. She threw open the door with a bang.

"Angel? Do I have an obsessive affinity for cute things!" Fia demanded.

"… Maybe," Haven replied meekly.

Fia sighed and dragged her feet over to where Haven was sitting on her bed with her computer. "I found this notebook. It has some weird notes on me…" She flipped through the pages until she reached the cover. "Wait… Isn't this Nagisa's?!"

"Let me see that," Haven said as she stole the notebook from Fia's hands and immediately began reading it.

"W-We can't do that," Fia protested. "It's an invasion of privacy! It just happened to be open when I found it - " she explained but Haven was obviously disregarding her.

"Let's see. This one says, 'Fia is very talented at cooking. She also seems to do a majority of the cleaning and household chores.' and this one says 'Fia acting as a little sister… Strange.'"

Fia dead-panned. "D-Do they really say that…?"

Haven nodded her head. "Yeah. Here, this one says 'Fia has quite the family. I can see where her patience and household skills came from. Extra Note #1: I'm not a girl!'" The white-haired girl sighed. "And I'm not a boy…" She continued, reading, "Fia's chemistry skills are very complicated. Somehow, she managed to create a chemical agent that shrunk her and Haven down to the size of my hand. Extra Note #1: Fia can also sew clothes. She does so for her sister's dolls. Extra Note #2: It was uncanny how similar Haven's miniature clothes resembled the ones she wears everyday."

The girl sighed and leaned against her friend. "Family Weekend was exhausting…"

"You can say that again, Tsu-chan." Haven turned a few pages. "Fia comes from a large mafia family in central Italy. She refused to disclose specifics, but it made her more accepting of Karma's and my occupation. Extra Note #1: If Karma didn't scare her away before, I doubt his career path would have."

Fia laughed dryly. "I can't and won't tell…"

Haven nudged her friend. "This is kind of related." She pointed at a line on another page and read, "Fia is an atrocious liar… Karma seems to like throwing this in her face by teasing her about very obvious things. Extra Note #1: How is Fia going to do when we start going on missions? Extra Note #2: Update: Fia appears to be able to bypass her inability to lie well by telling half-truths. On the last mission, her only outright lie was about seeing a mouse. Impressive spontaneity."

Covering her face with her hands, Fia sighed. "I'm working on it!" she protested.

"This one is about me. Haven is a very hyper person. Extra Note #1: Only when she has a lot of sugar." Haven flipped to the next page. "She is a little reserved, but she is also very-straightforward, organized, and practical."

Peeking at the next couple of pages, Fia read "Pink isn't such a bad color…"

"Why is that the only note on this page?" Haven asked as she skipped a couple of pages.

Her roommate shot her an incredulous look. "Really…?"

"What?" Haven asked.

The Italian pointed to a familiar blue plush sitting on top of Haven's bedstand. She raised her eyebrows as if to ask, "Do you get it now?" but she sighed when it became obvious that Haven wasn't understanding.

"You want Gisa-kun to play with Bacio?" Haven questioned in confusion. "Where is Bacio anyway?"

Blushing, Fia stole a glance at her closet. After New Year's, she had hid the plush. She couldn't hold her beloved guinea pig without thinking of the events surrounding midnight that night. Her crystal flower, by contrast, rested on her bedstand, where she could fall asleep looking at it every night. "J-Just read the next one…"

"Haven doesn't appear to like horror movies if shown on a large screen, at a theater, for example. Extra Note #1: I want to protect her again. Extra Note #2: She seems to have a tense, long-term relationship with a guy named Dick."

Fia laughed dryly. "Well, we know who Richard is now…" She moved to read the next one. "Haven is apparently the same size I was in middle school. Extra Note #1: It seems that we can swap clothing almost at will. I still can't tell if some of the clothes in my closet are hers or mine from the laundry mix-up. Extra Note #2: Haven doesn't wear a bra, according to her comments."

Haven shrugged. "It's not like I need one."

Fia blushed. "L-Lucky you…"

"Haven speaks in coding jargon when concentrating really hard. Extra Note #1: or when she cannot comprehend what she is hearing."

The girls read through the rest of the notes on themselves until they finally reached the most recent notes. "One of Haven's favorite holidays is New Year's… Extra Note #1: Thank you for the present…"

Black eyes looked questioningly at the page. "I didn't get him anything…"

Smiling wryly, Fia took the notebook from Haven. "Yes… You did. The best present someone can give…" Hoping that her comment would sink in, Fia hopped off of Haven's bed and left her best friend to think on her own.

* * *

Fia sat down next to Karma, who was laying on the couch and listening to music. "You left this for me to show Angel, didn't you?" she asked quietly.

Karma pulled one of his earbuds free. "What are you talking about?" he asked with a sly smile.

She waved the notebook in front of his face. "This."

"Nagisa's notebook? I didn't know you quite the pick-pocket, Fia~. You should give that back before Nagisa finds out," Karma laughed. "He'd scare you if you saw him angry."

Fia rolled her eyes. "How'd you get the notebook from him anyway?"

Karma placed his hands behind his head. "Gee, I wonder~. Aren't those notes interesting?"

Pouting, she turned towards him. "They're more detailed than I would like to admit… I think they still went right over Angel's head though."

"Tsk." Using his arms for momentum, Karma sat up quickly and took the notebook from Fia. "Those two are a lot of work."

She laughed lightly. "You can say that again. Did you read the notebook too? It has some very interesting things to say about you."

The redhead shook his head. "Not really, just the section on Haven." Curiously, he flipped open the notebook and skimmed until he found his name. Karma read, "Showing off or arrogant? His threatening of our new housemates is questionable, but not unexpected. Extra Note #1: Tsundere appears to mean easily embarrassed with a denial of that state of embarrassment." He shot a smirk at the pink-cheeked Fia and then paused in thought. "Well, his notes have become more elaborate and analytical since middle school."

Fia tilted her head. "Really?"

"Yeah, he used to write things like 'Weakness #3: He's petty' and call it there." Karma skipped to the next page. "Karma is not opposed to stealing the girls' personal clothing. Extra Note #1: I'm not surprised. Extra Note #2: Fia is very self-conscious about her… full body size." At that, Karma snickered.

She blushed and grabbed the notebook from him and scanned the pages for anything she could read back to Karma in retaliation. "Aha! Karma sings to himself when getting ready in the morning and showering. He normally doesn't notice. It seems like he likes a surprising variety of songs. Extra Note #1: What does it mean to bring 'Sexy Back'?"

Karma's cheeks reddened as he snatched back the notebook. "I think that's enough."

Giggling, Fia shook her head. "That's adorable. I read another one too! It said something along the lines of 'When Karma sleeps, he - '" Fia was interrupted by a hand over her mouth. She looked curiously at Karma, only to find that he had a finger over his lips.

"Karma, you've been avoiding me since this morning. Just give my notebook back and there won't be a problem," Nagisa's voice called from the direction of the boys' shared bedroom.

The redhead passed Fia the notebook and silently moved away. He smoothly made his way across the living room before escaping through the front door. Unsure of how to respond to Karma's sudden disappearance, Fia slipped the notebook under her leg.

Nagisa entered the room with a drained expression. "Fia, do you know where Karma is?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry." Although she felt extremely guilty, that wasn't a lie…

The bluenette sighed and made his way to sit down beside Fia on the couch. "He's definitely going to pay for this later…" he grumbled.

"U-Um, Nagisa," Fia stuttered, "I found your notebook." She pulled the pack of paper out from under her leg and handed it to him. "Well, it kind of found me."

Nagisa smiled with relief and graciously accepted his notebook. Blue eyes found olive ones. "What do you mean it found you?"

Fia smiled warily. "I was looking for a cookbook and it may have fallen on me…"

He sweat-dropped and scowled slightly. "Of course Karma would use my shortness to his advantage. Thanks, Fia… Did you read it?"

Cheeks pinkening, she admitted it slowly. "Y-Yeah…" In response to Nagisa's sequential sighs, Fia piped up again. "I admire how much you try to understand those around you… Your notes taught me a few things about myself that I hadn't, but probably should have, realized sooner."

Nagisa rubbed the back of his neck with a wry smile. He didn't want to tell Fia that he had begun the habit in middle school to keep track of the weaknesses of the world's greatest target, and teacher, that had ever lived. "Well, I guess I'm glad that they could help you."

The two sat in silence for a few moments longer before Fia spoke up again. "Is… Is that true what you wrote about Karma?"

He hesitated to answer. He wasn't sure to what extent the girl had read through his notes on his roommate, but he had a feeling that he knew exactly which note she was talking about. "It is, but he can take care of himself," he tried to reassure her.

"It just seems… So lonely…" Fia said slowly.

"He's always been like that," Nagisa admitted. "I think that's one of the reasons his relationships never last."

Fia sighed and quickly changed the topic. "What about you, Nagisa?"

The bluenette looked at her questioningly. "What about me?"

She laughed nervously. "Have you dated anyone before? I know Karma mentioned a Kayano…"

Nagisa dead-panned. "We never went out!" he protested before sighing. He smiled warily. "I've had two or three girlfriends before, but things just never worked out. We either had different interests or things came up…" he said slowly. "What about you?"

"M-Me?!" Fia's cheeks reddened and her gaze dropped to the floor. She shook her head, slowly at first, then profusely.

"Never?" Nagisa asked with a gentle tone.

"N-No…" She shifted awkwardly in her seat and tucked her knees under her chin. "I have had very minor crushes, but I was always too shy to say anything and I had my family to prioritize," she admitted. "A few people tried to ask me out back in middle school and the beginning of high school, but… b-because I couldn't speak my feelings, m-most people came to the c-conclusion that I thought I was better than everyone else." Her smile became bittersweet. "I-It was the opposite, actually."

Nagisa rubbed Fia's back in a soothing gesture. "I'm sorry, Fia."

She shook her head. "I didn't care until later on. Felix always helped me through those situations. I think… We used to joke about how I wouldn't even be able to get out my wedding vows if he weren't there, next to the priest." Fia laughed happily as a sentimental smile made its way to her face. "Are you going to read your vows from that notebook?" she teased.

He laughed. "I might have to. I have so many things to say to the girl I like - " Blue eyes widened and fair cheeks reddened as Nagisa realized what he'd said.

Fia's gaze softened and she placed her hand on Nagisa's shoulder. "It's okay… I won't interfere anymore, but I'm sure she's going to come around and notice soon enough. Hang in there and… just stay true to yourself."

"Did Karma tell you that?" Nagisa inquired.

Fia stared blankly at Nagisa for a few moments in shock. "Y-Yeah, I guess he did…"

* * *

Nagisa: (Scribbling furiously in his notebook)

Fia: (Sweat-drops) What'cha doing, Nagisa…?

Nagisa: Writing down some false things that only I'll know about for the next time anyone tries to snoop through it. Hey - (notebook is snatched)

(A crowd of people are fighting over and reading Nagisa's notebook.)

Jelavic: I take pride in being the supreme temptress of men! Take notes, Fia!

Felicia: I'm not that abrasive…

Karasuma: (Blood vessel pops) "Powerless to Puppies"?!

Lupe: I AM NOT SPOILED! But, thank you for thinking I'm cute~ (sparkles)

Karma: (Red-faced in anger and embarrassment) … How did you know about that?!

Wally: I'm… Naive? Haven?

Giovanni: "Papa Bear" personality? I like that! (Roars with laughter)

Florence: If I couldn't measure you with my eyes and construct the most visually-appealing outfit, I wouldn't be a top designer. Your receiving of female attire was no mistake.

Mio and Mia: Hey! Don't compare us to tornadoes! Those sometimes miss! We're more like hurricanes!

Fia: I can actually agree with that…

Gio: (teary) I AM NOT A CRYBABY!

Benny: … Why aren't I in here…?

Nagisa: (Facepalms) I didn't write half of that! You're interpreting my notes all wrong! How did you guys find out about my notebook anyway?!

(Entire crowd turns to look at a particular redhead)

Nagisa: KARMA!

Karma: (Laughing) Oh, look at the time! I have to go!

Fia: To bring sexy back?

Karma: (Blushes) Forget about that already!

Narrator: Thank you for the sweet notes on me, Nagisa!

Nagisa: (Sweat-drops) You too…?

Narrator: Speaking of sweet, the next chapter will focus on Valentine's Day! Life is a box of chocolates - who knows what you're bound to get next! (evil snickering)


	24. Chapter 24: Valentine Time

Karma sighed as he cupped his chin in his hand at the kitchen table. "Remind me why I'm banned from the kitchen?"

Fia, flitting about the room, sighed exasperatedly. "I told you! It's a secret!"

"What if I told you that I'm hungry?" Karma asked.

"What if I told you to eat your own foot!" she huffed. "I'll make you something."

"Where's Haven?" Nagisa questioned as he entered the room.

"She said she needed to use a kitchen, so she went over to Earnest's house," Karma replied flatly. "Don't even bother trying to get food, Fia's trying to starve us both."

* * *

"Out of the kitchen!" Haven grumbled as Earnest stole another chocolate off of the plate in the refrigerator.

"Oh, come on! Some of them are for me!" he protested.

"Then you'll get less later," Haven said as she poured chocolate into a plastic mold. Earnest grabbed one last chocolate and left the kitchen. A few moments later, his gagging could be heard from down the hall.

"What did you put in this?" he coughed.

"No, the question should be what I didn't put in it," Haven smirked.

"It's a 'choc'-astrophy!" he exclaimed. Haven just placed her last batch of chocolates in the fridge and smiled.

* * *

Fia dabbed at her forehead with a towel as soon as she finished packaging her confectionary creations. She carried the delicate boxes to her room and stashed them in Haven's microfridge, where she knew they'd be safe.

Fia hurriedly cleaned up the kitchen and made dinner. Had she really been in the kitchen all day? As soon as the rice was cooked, Fia set the table and moved to the couch to close her eyes for a few moments.

Karma entered the kitchen as soon as the scent of Fia's cooking wafted in his bedroom. He surveyed the kitchen but didn't see her at all. Shrugging, he served himself and went to the living room to eat on the couches.

"Fia?" he asked as he saw her spread out on the couch.

She hardly stirred and continued to sleep soundly. Karma chuckled and threw his jacket over her as he took a seat on the other couch. He turned on the tv and lowered the volume.

A little while later, Fia opened her eyes and looked around. As she slowly sat up, her eyes found their way to the screen. "Is that… 'The Notebook'?"

Karma sighed. "It was this, 'Titanic,' or '50 First Dates.'"

Fia laughed moved to sit next to Karma. She leaned against him and draped his jacket over the both of them. "I actually liked '50 First Dates,'" she mumbled. "Wait, is this the rain scene?"

He shrugged a little, as much as he could with a head on his shoulder. "I guess so." His tone made it painfully clear how bored he was with the movie. "Why can't he just drown her spoiled ass in the lake already?"

Laughing dryly, Fia shrugged. "Because there's half an hour left in the movie?"

"I'm surprised," Karma admitted.

"About what?" Fia looked up at him with curious eyes.

"That you're not totally into this lovely-dovey romance stuff."

"I love love, but no romance is picture perfect like the movies like to show them," Fia explained. "At least, I don't think so. I wouldn't actually know."

Karma opened his mouth to speak when he heard a thud and moan from the television screen.

Fia blushed profusely and covered Karma's eyes with her hand. "Don't look!"

"I'm not your little sibling…" He tried to pull her hand away.

"I s-said don't look!" she stammered with red cheeks and red ears.

Karma laughed and wrestled Fia off of him. "Embarrassed, Tsu-chan?" He snatched the remote and turned the volume up all the way.

Fia's face became scarlet as the moans behind her got louder. "W-Why would you do that?!"

He smirked. "To see that face~!"

" _Dio!"_ Fia yelled as she hid under Karma's jacket.

"Umm… what are you guys watching?" Nagisa's voice called from the bedroom. "I mean, I'm not going to judge, but not all of us want to hear…"

Steam escaped from under the jacket. "'THE NOTEBOOK'! IT'S JUST 'THE NOTEBOOK!'" Fia protested.

Karma snickered. "If Nagisa can hear us, I can only imagine what our neighbors must be thinking~."

"Sh-Shut up! That's your fault!" Fia yelled in dismay.

There was a knock on the door. To Fia's horror, Karma moved to answer it. He threw open the door. "Hello?"

"Umm…" A scarlet-faced girl stood there. "Could you keep your activities," she turned even redder, "to a lower volume…"

"Hear that, Tsu-chan~?" Karma called back towards the living room with a smug grin. "Sorry about that," he said to the girl, "she just can't help herself."

" _CAZZO!_ LIKE THIS IS MY FAULT! GET BACK HERE SO I CAN STRANGLE YOU!"

"Didn't know you were so kinky, Tsu-chan~."

The girl just turned redder as the conversation continued.

"KARMA!"

"Screaming my name already, eh?"

"KAR- FUCK YOU!"

"Nice choice of words, Tsu-chan~."

Fia finally got fed up enough that she left to hide in her room and hoped to die.

Nagisa shouted from the bedroom. "Leave Fia alone already, Karma!"

"Alright, alright. That's enough torture for one day." The redhead winked at the girl in the hall and shut the door quickly, going back to finish the movie on his own.

Half an hour later, Haven walked into the apartment holding three tupperware containers. She went to stash them in her fridge.

"Fia, why's my fridge full? I need room in there too!" she yelled from their bedroom to the kitchen. "Nevermind, I'll just clear some space out," Haven said as she began eating sweets. A little while later, she walked out of her room with a small chocolate stain on her face. "No worries! It all fits now!" Haven cocked her head happily. "Oh, Rebecca from next door told me you two were up to something, Tsu-chan," Haven giggled, "she acted like it was rather scandalous."

Fia, in a fluster, dropped the pan she was holding and turned red. "I-It - Th-There wasn't - W-We didn't - " She sighed and covered her face.

"We can go another round~" Karma announced from the living room.

"Let's not," Fia spat as she picked up her pan. "Just do your homework!"

"You know, if you were my homework - "

"Where the fuck are you going with this - "

"I'd slam you down on the table and - "

"Karma, don't you dare!"

"Do you all night!" He laughed loudly as Fia covered her face and dropped her cookingware again. "KARMA!"

"So it was something scandalous," Haven smiled. "Tsu-chan's being scandalous," she began chanting.

"Angel! You're not helping!" Fia cried with a red face. She shook her head as she looked at her bubbly friend. "How much sugar did you have? It's already late." Fia turned to Karma, who had gone to flipping through the tv channels. "Karma, do you have the time?"

He smirked. "Yeah, but do you have the energy?"

Her face turned red again and she began swearing in Italian.

Haven smiled at her, "About this much," she used her hands to estimate the size of three tupperware dishes.

Fia face-palmed. Now she had a hyper child and a bratty, pervert to deal with too. She shot him a nasty glare.

"Hey, Fia," Karma called. "Is that top felt?"

"No," she spat. "Why do you ask?"

"Do you want it to be?" he smiled seductively.

So done with his stupid antics, Fia stormed over to him and slapped her hand over his mouth. "That's enough from you!"

Through her hand, he laughed. Red rose from Fia's toes to the tips of her ears as she heard the next several muffled innuendoes and pick-up lines that he threw out. She couldn't believe how much more raunchy those were compared to the ones before. Unable to make her brain process anymore, Fia ran, once again, back to hide in her bedroom and wish she were dead.

Karma laughed. "Just prep the bed for me, Tsu-chan~!"

"D-DON'T YOU DARE COME IN HERE!" There was a pause. "THAT'S NOT H-HOW I M-MEANT IT! UGH!"

Nagisa entered the living room with a sigh. "Did you really have to get her that worked up? I think that's enough, Karma."

The redhead just laughed before dropping his dishes in the sink and returning to his room for the night with his hands locked behind his head.

"Tsu-chan!" Haven ran into the bedroom. "Tsu-chan, don't leave me!"

Fia watched her hyper roommate flit about the room while she, in her embarrassment, continued to hide under the blanket of her bed. "Angel? Is there maybe any way you can… I don't know, calm down?"

"Nope!" she said as she bounced on her bed.

Sighing, Fia escaped from her blanket cave and left the room to find the one sane person in the house: Nagisa. She tapped on the boy's shoulder and took a seat next to him at the kitchen table. "Save me…" she pleaded weakly. "I can't take it anymore…"

He sweat-dropped. "I can't do much more with Karma. Did you want me to watch Haven?"

She nodded defeatedly. "Please and thank you…"

Nagisa smiled and made his way to the girls' shared bedroom. He was surprised, however, that Haven was nowhere to be found. "Haven?" he called. When he didn't get a reply, he began to search the apartment until there was only one room left to look in. He carefully pushed open the door to his room to find a pissed-looking Karma leaning against the wall.

"If you're looking for the monster on Monster, she's over there." Karma gestured to Nagisa's bed, where Haven was curled up around her plush Gisa-kun.

Nagisa blushed as he approached the girl. He gently shook Haven's shoulders as Karma left the room with an audible sigh. "Haven…?" he said softly.

"I'm trying to sleep the sugar off," Haven mumbled as she curled up tighter. Nagisa sighed as he sat next to her, watching her sleep.

* * *

Karma woke up on the couch to morning light filtering in through the shutters. He yawned and sat up just in time to see a flash of pink auburn disappear into the hall.

"Fia?" he called.

"Irk!" Fia slowly backtracked and peeked her head out from around the corner. "M-Morning, Karma." There was no use avoiding him now that she was caught.

"You don't think this conversation is going to be weird with you hiding behind that wall?"

Sighing, Fia came into view and made her way to sit on the couch opposite of Karma. She pouted and avoided his gaze, mostly in hopes that he would ignore her pink cheeks. Karma smiled softly as he noticed that Fia was wearing a familiar belted dress with a white top and floral pink skirt under her usual green military jacket. Fia crossed her sandled ankles and shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"You bought it?" Karma asked. "The dress from the mall?"

Fia blushed. "Y-Yeah…" she admitted slowly.

He smiled. "I told you it would look good on you."

Olive eyes widened. "D-Don't tease me, Karma. I-It took me a lot of courage to go b-back there."

"Who said I was teasing you?" he said quietly.

"Good morning," Nagisa said as he and Haven exited the bedroom.

"Good morning," Fia sighed in relief as she saw that Haven had more or less returned to her normal state. "And Happy Valentine's Day," she added.

"Is it really Valentine's Day?" Karma asked. "Maybe I should start with the innuendoes again?"

Fia pouted at Karma with redder cheeks. "I really hope Cupid decides to shoot you through the eye."

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "Um, how about we all just try to calm down? Haven told me that she and Fia have a surprise for us."

"I'll go get mine now!" Haven ran to her room and came back with three boxes. "For Fia," she said as she handed her a box wrapped in green paper.

Smiling happily, Fia gratefully accepted the box from Haven. "I'll open this as soon as I get back," she promised. "I want to get mine too!" Fia ran back to their room and returned with a few packages of her own. Fia handed a small black box with a computer drawn on it to Haven.

"Thank you so much!" Haven smiled as she unwrapped it. Inside the box was an open, chocolate laptop. The keys appeared to be removable, edible, and were all labeled correctly. The keys were milk chocolate but the entirety of the laptop appeared to be dark chocolate, Haven's preferred chocolate. The screen was made of white chocolate and in cursive were the words 'Happy Valentine's, Angel!' "Oh my gosh, Tsu-chan! It's so detailed!"

Fia blushed blissfully. "I'm glad you like it!" As she said this, she opened Haven's present to her. It was a box of twelve strawberries dipped in milk chocolate. They were drizzled with white chocolate letters that were placed to say, 'MADE WITH LOVE.' Fia's face lit up. "Strawberries?! These are my favorite! Thanks, Angel!" Slightly pink, she added, "Love you too…"

"My friend helped me, so they shouldn't taste atrocious," Haven explained.

Fia smiled softly as she passed a box to Nagisa. "I would love anything you make me, Angel… Well, so long as the fire alarm doesn't go off…" She laughed nervously and bit into one of the strawberries. Fia groaned in happiness as the sweet strawberry juice flooded her mouth. "This is delicious!"

Haven nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Tsu-chan."

"Thank you, Fia," Nagisa said as he accepted the box from her. He smiled shyly. "I wasn't expecting anything, so it means a lot." He opened the box and found a frozen white orb. He stared at it blankly. "Fia…? What's this?"

Fia laughed as she retrieved a pitcher from the kitchen. "It's magic!" she announced as she began pouring drizzling steaming chocolate over the frozen chocolate orb. As the white shell fell away, a scoop of blueberry ice cream coated in curly dark chocolate shavings was revealed. Next to the ice cream was a folded, paper flower.

Nagisa grabbed the flower and unfolded it. He read the note and laughed lightly. "You took notes on me?"

"I thought I'd return the favor!" Fia smiled. "Nagisa is a kind-hearted, considerate person who is modest about his insane abilities. Extra Note #1: He likes dark chocolate. Extra Note #2: Happy Valentine's Day!"

Nagisa went to the kitchen to get a spoon. He sat down again and smiled. "Thanks, Fia. This is great!"

Haven passed Nagisa a small blue box. Inside were ten dark chocolate truffles dipped in raspberry sauce.

"It's really good," Nagisa said after he tasted one. "Did you made these?" he gave her a soft smile. She turned a pale shade of pink as she nodded slightly.

"And Akabane," Haven passed him a red box with a black ribbon.

"I wasn't expecting you to give me anything," he unwrapped the box and found nine dark chocolate squares, "Although, dark chocolate isn't really my thing." He popped one in his mouth and began chewing. A few moments later, he ran to the kitchen to spit it out. "What did you put in these? They're bitter as fuck!"

"Let's see, that batch was 100% cocao beans," Haven gave him a smile.

Fia sighed. "And everything was going so well… Angel…" she groaned as she got up to get water for Karma.

Nagisa smiled wryly. "I knew things were going a little too well."

Somehow, Fia managed to coax Karma back to the living room. She placed a rather large box in his lap. "Here," she said with a smile.

Karma looked skeptically from the box in his lap to the white-haired girl who was still grinning smugly at him. "These were in that bitch's fridge. Are you sure she didn't touch them?"

Fia nodded. "I'm sure!" She hesitated for a moment. "R-Right, Angel?"

"Of course, I wouldn't touch anything of yours Tsu-chan," Haven smiled.

Sighing in relief, Fia put her hand on the angry redhead's shoulder. "See?"

Karma relented and open the shiny red box. Inside there were milk chocolate bullets coated in edible, golden shells. The bullets were situated clockwise around a large chocolate heart that read "Happy Valentine's Day" and rested on a china plate. Curiously, Karma pulled a sharp knife out of the box and shot Fia an inquisitive glance.

She laughed and grabbed his hand in hers. Fia guided the knife towards the heart and, together, they pierced it with the tip of the silver blade. Karma's eyes widened as the heart began to bleed, a rich, maroon color flooded onto the plate. Fia touched the red syrup and brought her finger up to Karma's lips. Embarrassedly, he licked it off.

"Raspberry?" he asked as the taste settled on his tongue.

"Yup!" Fia smiled. "And I heard you listening to some Bullet for my Valentine the other day so…" she trailed off and beamed a smile at Karma. "Do you like it?"

His gaze softened. "Y-yeah. Thanks, Fia. I've never gotten anything like this before."

Her cheeks seemed to be stained as red as the raspberry filling in Karma's chocolate heart. "I'm glad to hear!"

* * *

Haven shivered in the cold February air. "Why did we go out again, Tsu-chan?"

Fia laughed. "I thought it might be nice to go out instead of having to eat my cooking again. Aren't the lights downtown so pretty!"

She sighed. "I like your cooking…"

Nagisa smiled. "Well, the fresh air is nice to say the least."

The redhead trailing behind everyone else looked around. "It's crowded today, isn't it?"

Fia nodded. "That's because it's Valentine's Day! The couples kind of take over the town. There are groups of friends like us too, and a few people celebrating S.A.D."

"What's S.A.D.?" Nagisa asked curiously.

Haven answered him flatly. "Singles Awareness Day. Last year Benny, Fia, and company dragged me along. Never again."

Fia shuddered. "I never want to see them again…"

"They were hitting on us…"

She smiled regretfully. "S-Sorry that they moved onto you o-once they realized I wouldn't speak… I-I would have told them to stop but…" Fia laughed dryly and began to sulk.

"Their pick up lines were the worst. Even Earnest is less annoying than them."

"It didn't help that Benny w-wanted me to give them a ch-chance!" Fia complained.

The boys chuckled as Fia and Haven continued to animatedly complain about their previous Valentine's Day experience. After dinner in a quaint family restaurant, the four began exploring the lit shopping district downtown.

Fia skipped ahead of the others and peered into the glass window of a pet shop. "Look at the bunnies~!" she squealed as Karma sighed and dragged her away from the window.

Their next stop was initiated by Nagisa, who wanted to go into a small, antique bookstore. The bluenette led the group inside and disappeared behind several tall shelves. Haven began browsing for herself in the mystery novel section.

Fia snuck into the international section, hoping to escape from Karma while he was distracted by some old comics and magazines. Just as she pulled a book from its shelf in the tight aisle, Fia bumped into someone behind her.

"Oops! Sorry!" she apologized as she turned around. "K-Karma?!"

He laughed. "You're as jumpy as ever. Is that a book on Japan?" Karma asked with widening orange eyes.

She blushed and leaned back against the shelf behind her as she tried to put some distance in between them, which wasn't easy to come by considering how narrowly the shelves were placed together. Fia nodded slowly.

"If you wanted to know more about it, you could have just asked," Karma smiled. He snatched the book from Fia's hands and waved it over her head. "C'mon. I'll get this for you."

"R-Really? Thanks!"

After everyone had gotten the books they wanted, the four hit the streets again. Taking to window shopping, they passed a few cafes and several clothing shops. Karma laughed whenever Fia would embarrassedly quicken her pace in front of shops with "cute" clothing. Nagisa and Haven walked more slowly behind them until something caught Haven's eye. She stopped in front of the window of a dazzling jewelry store.

"What are you looking at?" Nagisa asked curiously as he stopped to stand by her.

Exchanging glances, Fia and Karma, although a little bit ahead, also noticed that their housemates had stopped and paused to wait for them.

"Oh, it's nothing in particular. I just think that opal ring looks nice," Haven replied as she turned away from the window.

"Do you like opals?" Nagisa questioned.

Haven nodded, "They don't make me look pale, but they're not too flashy like diamonds. I like the iridescence, how lighting and perspective changes the stone's appearance. It's both beautiful and solid, but also almost fluid."

Nagisa smiled softly, "I think that suits you."

Fia looked up at Karma. "It's like they're glowing…" she commented with a happy smile. "Is that what being in love is all about?"

He peered down at the girl beside him and shrugged as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I wouldn't be able to tell you."

"Oh…" Fia leaned against Karma. "Haven't you had a lot of girlfriends before?"

He looked up at the sky in thought. "I can't say whether or not I loved them, or whether or not they loved me, but what about you, Fia?"

She blushed and shook her head. "No, I've never had a boyfriend and I've never really been in love." She laughed. "Just school girl crushes. To be honest, I've never been on a date."

"Not once?"

"Is that… weird…?" Fia asked, embarrassed.

"Not really," Karma smiled. "But if you want to know what one looks like, it looks like that." He pointed to where Nagisa and Haven were smiling at each other, seemingly lost in their own world.

* * *

"I'll be right back," Nagisa smiled as he headed off for a moment. Haven smiled at him from her seat on the edge of the fountain.

A few moments later, Haven groaned as she saw a group of guys strolling through the park. Hopefully they wouldn't see her. Unfortunately, they began walking over.

"Hey, beautiful!" one of them sauntered up to her. "You're looking pale. I think you're suffering from a lack of vitamin me," he wiggled his eyebrows.

Haven sighed, "Vitamin me does not exist and therefore I am certain I cannot be suffering from a lack thereof." The other guys in the group snickered as the offender slunk back into the group. Another guy walked forward.

"Did we have a class together? I could have sworn we had chemistry," he smiled.

"I'm sorry, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I haven't taken a chemistry class since high school."

"Haven, do you know these people?" Nagisa called as he returned from nearby.

"No, I do not," Haven replied.

"It's impolite to be so casual with strangers," Nagisa told the boys.

"Come on, sweet cheeks, you know us. You met us last year!" one of the boys protested.

"I wish you'd stop bothering me," Haven sighed.

"Oh come on, you know that on a scale of one to ten, you're a nine and I'm the one you need," a guy continued.

"She told you to stop bothering her," Nagisa glared, causing them to run away.

"Thank you," Haven sighed, "I really dislike when guys hit on me like that."

"Well," Nagisa sat next to her. "In a way, you should take it as a compliment. Although you dislike the attention, the fact that they're paying attention to you is proof of how attractive you are," Nagisa gave her a small smile.

"Thanks, Gisa,"" Haven smiled back and leaned against him.

* * *

Giggling, Fia swung her feet from the branch she was sitting on. Karma smiled next to her as he made himself comfortable closer to where the main trunk of the tree branched outwards.

"Look! You can see the campus clock tower from here!" Fia pointed in the direction of their school. "I didn't know the trees at the park got this tall!"

Karma lazily looked over in that direction. "Yeah, you're right." The two listened to the quiet rustle of leaves in the wind, which was only occasionally interrupted by a far-off car.

Fia carefully made her way to where Karma was and sprawled out on the flat base of the branches with him. "I'm really glad we came to the park…" she whispered to herself.

"Why's that?" Karma asked as he shifted his body to support Fia's. He was glad for the extra warmth he received from wrapping his arm around her waist and having her rest her head on his shoulder.

"Well, for one, it's nice to get away from the chaos," Fia began.

"You're forgetting that I'm here," he stuck his tongue out with a smile.

She laughed. "I meant the chaos of everyday life."

"You're still forgetting that I'm here," he chuckled.

Fia rolled her eyes with a smile. "You know what I mean… I… like being around you, Karma. I never feel alone or unsafe…" Karma looked at her with a contemplative expression but Fia didn't notice as her eyes purposefully continued to search the sky above. "I love that I can talk to you about just about anything… Jelavic once told me to imagine someone I had a lot to say to until I got the hang of just speaking my mind and, for me, that person was you…"

Karma was quiet for a few moments before he smirked. "I can't imagine you had a lot of good things to say about me."

Fia shook her head. "I actually had a lot I wanted to tell you… Like, how much I love your cooking, how I like the way you get passionate about politics, how I adore how easy it is to laugh when I'm with you…" She blushed and covered her face with her hands. "I wanted to thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone while still letting me feel safe, and I wanted to say thank you for being so good to my family… And to me…" Fia gasped. "Look, Karma! A shooting star!" Laughing happily, she declared, "Make a wish!"

Karma looked at Fia and up to the sky. "I missed it. Where was it?" His eyes glinted with mischief.

She propped herself up on her elbow and pointed across him. "Over there!" Fia said with giddy smile.

As she crossed him, Karma also leaned forward and allowed his lips to brush Fia's cheek. Her cheeks were already rosy from the cold, so he couldn't tell if she noticed. "Sorry, I guess I really did miss it."

Fia giggled. "That's okay. Look there!" She laid back down and pointed to a group of stars. "There's Lepus and Lupus!"

"What are those?" he asked. "I know Capricorn but not those."

"Lupus is the wolf. Lepus is a rabbit hunted by Orion and his dogs." Fia laughed lightly.

Karma smiled wolfishly. "If I were the wolf, I'd never give up my prey to some lowly dogs."

"Eh?" She tilted her head and stared at him blankly. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head with a smirk and sat up. Karma let Fia situate herself more securely on the tree trunk before he climbed down. "It's been long enough," he said, "We should probably find Haven and Nagisa."

Fia's face flushed as she looked from her spot in the tree to the distant ground. "U-Um…"

Karma sweat-dropped. "It's not that far down… Are you stuck?" he began laughing. "How'd you get up there anyway?"

She laughed nervously and blushed more. "D-Dumb luck…?"

"Just use the notches in the tree," he said. "You can take my hand on your way down. If you don't get too embarrassed, that is~."

Fia's cheeks reddened. "Sh-Shut up!" She laughed as she tried looking for a way down. "I-I don't think I can reach any of those n-notches."

"I guess I'll just have to leave you here then~."

She gasped. "Y-You wouldn't! K-Karma!" Fia yelled after the redhead walking away with his hands locked behind his head. " _Por favore_ , K-Karma!"

Karma doubled over in laughter and quickly hurried back to the tree. He opened his arms. "Just jump."

Fia sweat-dropped and clung to a tree branch for support. "Y-You're serious…?"

He nodded with a smile. "I'll catch you. C'mon."

Covering her face, Fia squeaked and jumped. The drop took longer than she thought and, just as she was convinced that she would hit the ground, she felt herself being caught in strong arms. Olive eyes, scrunched shut, slowly opened and met orange ones.

"You should see the look on your face."

She blushed. "Sh-Shut up!" Fia freed herself and took a few running steps towards where they had left Haven and Nagisa. She stopped herself and turned around with a shy smile. "Th-Thanks, Karma."

He laughed good-naturedly and easily caught up with her. "I won't ever let you fall," he said as he ruffled her hair. "Let's get those two and go home." Fia grabbed onto his arm shyly, and the pair walked together, enjoying the last bit of quiet and starlight.

* * *

Fia: Angel, you ran into them again? Those guys who were hitting on us?

Haven: Yes… Nagisa scared them off though.

Fia: (Relief spreads across her face) That's good…

Karma: (Twirling a knife) I could have done that~ (Sadistic smile)

Fia: Where did you get that?

Karma: Your Valentine's Day present, of course.

Fia: (dead-pans) I don't trust you with that! Give it back!

Karma: (laughing) I don't think so~!

Fia: _Merda_ , give it back!

Narrator: I uploaded before the midnight deadline! I'm technically on time! Next chapter, Happy Birthday, Fia!

Fia: (Blushes) W-Wait, W-We're celebrating?!

Haven: Of course!

Karma: You're turning 21, right? That means we can really get this party started!

Fia: YOU STAY AWAY!

Haven: … I'm not old enough to drink anyways.

Karma: (Laughing) That makes you the only one. How about we just hype you up on sugar instead?

Fia: Can we not...?


	25. Chapter 25: Drunk Time

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" Karma asked the Italian girl sitting on his bed.

"There's a guy in my room," she whispered.

"There are two guys in here. What's the big deal?" Karma asked, pointing to Nagisa, "Then again, I'm not so sure about that." He smirked as Nagisa sighed.

"That's different. I know you two!" Fia protested.

"I bet they're doing something. That's why you don't want to go back, right?" Karma taunted.

"N-no! I-it's nothing like th-that!" Fia squeaked as her face flushed.

"I'm not convinced, so I'm going to check for myself," Karma smirked as he pushed himself off of his bed and began making his way towards the girls' shared bedroom.

"H-Hey! Wait!" Fia shouted as she ran after him. She grabbed onto Karma's arm as he walked. "Th-They're working on a p-project! Y-You shouldn't bother them!"

Karma, as strong and stubborn as ever, just kept walking until he stopped in front of the girls' door. He pressed his ear against the door and put a finger to his lips to tell Fia that, if she tried to protest, she would definitely alert the pair inside to their presence. Fia, pouting ever so slightly, relented as she put her ear to the door too.

The first thing they heard was a frustrated groan and something hitting a desk. The pair exchanged glances.

"If at first you don't succeed, call it version 1.0," a guy chuckled.

"Ha, ha, Kavi, so funny," Haven grumbled, "Seriously, what's wrong with this program?!"

"Well, it could be line 54. We both thought that one was suspicious," Kavi suggested.

"But that line's not causing any errors!" Haven sighed.

"There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works," the guy replied.

Haven sighed and began typing. A few seconds later, she growled again in frustration, "If it's a semicolon, I'm gonna explode!"

"You seem out of sorts today. I've dropped two jokes now and you haven't honestly laughed at either of them," Kavi noted.

"Sorry for the bad attitude. I don't know what's wrong," Haven sighed.

"Your attitude isn't bad. It's just in beta," Kavi replied.

"That was funny," Haven smirked.

"Well, I usually am. I'm going to get some water," Kavi said.

The door opened and a lean guy walked out. He was a bit taller than Karma with very dark skin and light brown eyes. He pushed his chunky, black-rimmed glasses up his nose as he processed the scene in front of him. While Nagisa was sitting on the couch in the living room, Karma and Fia were tangled on the floor in a rather compromising position.

"Get off of me!" Fia squeaked with reddening cheeks as she looked from the boys to where Karma's hands had landed.

Haven walked out to see the commotion. "Stop harassing her, Akabane, sexually or otherwise," she sighed.

"I'm not!" Karma protested. He quickly pushed himself off of Fia and helped the girl to her feet. In an embarrassed fluster, she ran into her own room, protectively covering her chest all the way. Trying to hide his red face, Karma turned his back to the pair standing in the doorway and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Press any key… but those I guess," Kavi noted.

"That was just crude, Kavi," Haven poked him in the side with two fingers.

"Erk!" Kavi jumped away from the short girl, shooting her a surprised look.

Karma cringed at Kavi's joke and shoved his hands in his pockets before slinking back to his room as inconspicuously as possible.

Nagisa, shooting Karma a sympathetic glance as they crossed paths, made his way over to where Haven and Kavi stood. His wary smile was directed at the pair.

"Hello. Haven, who's this?" the bluenette asked as he glanced between the two.

"This is Kavi. We've been helping each other with compsci for two years now?" Haven turned to him.

"More like one and a half," Kavi corrected her, "We didn't do a lot of helping last semester."

"Well, _someone_ was in Estonia," Haven grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Sorry, the opportunity was too good to pass up," Kavi smiled.

"I'm Nagisa," Nagisa said as he extended his hand towards Kavi and nearly broke his neck trying to look up at the taller male. Kavi seemed nice enough, but one thing still irked him about the other guy: his height.

"Nice to meet you," Kavi shook his hand firmly. The two dropped hands and Nagisa turned to Haven. Today she was dressed in a black blouse and a black pleated skirt.

"You look nice today, Haven," Nagisa smiled at the girl.

Haven blushed and ran back into her room.

"So, you're the virus in Haven's system," Kavi smiled at the bluenette knowingly as he walked back into the room with Haven.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nagisa asked no one in particular.

* * *

Fia blushed and tried to avoid Karma's gaze. Even if the only illumination in the room - if you could even call it that - came from the light filtering in under the door, she knew her face was still visible to his.

"You're stepping on my foot," he muttered.

"Sorry! It's kind of hard not to!" she protested. Fia shifted as the edge of a shelf pressed painfully into her back. "Remind me again why you're in the pantry? There isn't enough room for the both of us," she mumbled with pinkening cheeks. Between the metal shelf and Karma, Fia would rather lean against Karma, but this position was hardly any less compromising than before.

Karma blushed slightly as a familiar soft feeling pushed up against him. He grumbled, "You better keep it down before they realize we're here." Listening to the loud exclamations coming from the Timo family outside, he put his ear to the door. It didn't seem like anyone was on to him, and he was almost certain he heard two pairs of in-sync footsteps running towards his and Nagisa's room. He smirked before turning back to Fia. "It's your birthday. Shouldn't you be, I don't know, spending it with your family out there? The twins did get suspended for a week just so they could see you."

Pouting, Fia lightly head-butted his chest, seeing as how she didn't exactly have room to move her arms or legs much in the pantry as it were. "I don't think I can take another round of party games, especially when my siblings are hyped up on cake like this! I just wanted to do something quiet."

"Who bakes their own birthday cake?" he asked incredulously.

She laughed, "Someone who doesn't trust her roommates not to burn down the apartment or her siblings not to spike it."

The two laughed together and let the silence settle over them for a few moments more before Karma sighed and spoke up first. "Sorry about earlier," he mumbled.

Fia was quiet for a second or two, then she laughed embarrassedly. "It was an accident. I-I'm sure you didn't mean to, y-you know… Ah, In any case, it's alright."

The redhead smiled in the dark. "I'm glad you feel that way… Because I don't know if you're going to forgive me for this."

Olive eyes widened slightly and searched for their counterparts. "What do you mean -?"

Before Fia could ask anymore or give Karma time to answer her, there was a loud explosion from down the apartment hall. Fia and Karma tumbled out of the pantry together, and Karma began laughing happily as the twins, coated head-to-toe in neon orange cheesepuff powder, emerged from the boys' bedroom.

"KARMA!" Mio and Mia angrily, and accusingly, shouted together.

He stuck his tongue out with a grin. "That's what you get for trying to go through my stuff."

Fia face-palmed, joining her siblings in yelling at and playfully chasing the arrogantly-smiling asshole around the kitchen. Fia was stopped when a large hand was placed comfortingly on her shoulder. She turned to see Giovanni smiling down at her with gentle eyes.

"Present time, _mia amore_!" he declared with a hearty laugh.

She giggled as her father's arms trapped her in a gigantic bear hug. Still hugging, the two penguin-waddled over to the living room, where the rest of the Timo family, Haven, and Nagisa were already waiting with the presents. Fia freed herself from her father's grasp and took a seat in the middle of the floor. Karma patted Mio's and Mia's cheesy heads and walked them over to the living room to join the others.

"You're going to open mine first!" Guadalupe announced, dropping a small bag into Fia's lap.

The auburn-haired girl tied her hair back and smiled from the gift in her lap to her littlest sister. "Thank you, Lupe!" she chimed as she reached into the bag and pulled out a tree-of-life-themed compact mirror. Fia smiled softly. "What's this for?"

Lupe crossed her arms and turned her nose up. "So you can take a look at yourself in the mirror and get your life together."

Fia sweat-dropped as she slipped the mirror into her jacket pocket. "Th-Thanks, Lu - GYAH!" The girl's head was assaulted by a flying box. Rubbing the forming bump, Fia picked up the poorly-wrapped box and looked at Gio.

"Just open it," the boy said with flushing cheeks as he crossed his arms over his chest.

She carefully took apart the printer paper that Gio had taped around the gift and found a box of full of… Fia's face flushed deep, deep scarlet. "GIO! Why did you get me c-c-con - " she couldn't finish that statement before the twins snatched the box out of her hands.

"IF YOU DON'T HAVE THESE, THEN YOU CAN'T SCREW HIM!" the twins declared as they pointed accusingly at Karma.

Giovanni roared with laughter, even as Florence shook her head in disapproval. Karma and Nagisa both blushed and exchanged concerned expressions.

Fia covered her face with her hands. "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! EARLIER WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

"What are those?" Haven asked.

Lupe stared at Haven with a blank expression. "Didn't you take sex ed.?"

"Yes, it is a requirement in middle school. However, I was put in the males' class. Since I am a female, I believed the information was negligible, so I didn't pay any attention," Haven explained.

"Wait, what do you mean 'earlier'?!" Gio demanded. "What kind of gross stuff have you been getting into!"

Fia's face turned scarlet again. "N-NOTHING! THAT'S NOT W-WHAT I MEANT!"

The twins threw their arms around Haven's shoulders. "Well, you see, condoms are -" they began a long-winded explanation of what condoms are, their uses, and all the varieties they come in. Haven went pinker by the minute.

Karma awkwardly looked up at the ceiling, anywhere but at Fia and her family, really.

Lupe shot the twins a look. "You know, horny college students are still going *beep beeeeeeep beeeeeeeeeeep*. It's actually probably worse if you take that away."

Florence's cheeks took on a slightly pink hue at her daughter's language. Giovanni turned red as he fell onto the floor, still laughing. Huffing, Gio stormed up to Fia with the box in condoms in hand.

"Hey, stupid _sorella!_ Do you even know how to use these stupid things?!" he asked with a red face.

"U-Uh… W-Well, probably… But it's not like I've ever needed one…" Fia mumbled.

The twins ran over and snatched the latex protection from out of Gio's hands and stretched it between them. "Shall we show you how?" They didn't wait for an answer before forcing it over Gio's head. They cackled as their older brother struggled to rip the death trap away from his face.

Gio gasped for air between disgusted spits. "GROSS! WHY DOES IT TASTE LIKE CHERRIES!?"

"That's enough!" Florence, finally fed up with the scene unfolding around her, demanded that her children stop. She pulled her older son into her arms and sighed. "Why don't we continue with the presents?" Most of the people in the house sighed in relief.

Mio and Mia approached Fia with a purple bag in hand. Fia took the bag warily and pulled out a green hair brush with white clouds painted onto the back. Fia stood and kissed 'Mia' on the cheek. "Thank you, Mio." She moved to kiss 'Mio' on the forehead. "Thank you, Mia."

The twins pouted and exchanged looks, but ended up smiling and tackling Fia in a big hug. "Let us brush your hair again, sometime! We promise that we won't put gum in it again!"

Fia nodded with a giggle. "Sure!" Fia paused as Florence and Giovanni approached her together and each handed her a bottle. She looked down and read the labels. "Wine…?" she asked cautiously.

Florence nodded. "Well, you are 21 now, Fia."

Giovanni smiled. "One is for cooking, the other we brought with us from Italy. _Tuo zio_ Alessandro and I made it together~!" he announced.

Beaming as her father's chest swelled with pride, Fia held the bottles to her chest protectively. " _Grazie, Mami, Papi!"_ The three hugged and Fia quickly put the wine bottles away in the kitchen.

Smiling, Nagisa brought out a box from behind him and handed it to Fia upon her return. "Here, Fia. I hope this is a completing gift."

Fia tilted her head as she opened the box. Olive eyes widened as Fia pulled out a green spatula. "Is this… Part of the same set Haven's been gifting me…?"

Nagisa laughed a little. "That completes your set, doesn't it?"

Giggling, Fia nodded. "I think so. Thanks, guys."

Karma shook his head and shot Haven a bored expression. "Isn't that the same thing you wanted me to get her?" He sighed as Haven just shrugged.

"Here, Tsu-chan," Haven gave her a small box wrapped in green paper, "I would have given you the spatula, but I suggested it to Nagisa instead."

Fia opened the box and instantly squealed, causing the twins next to her to fall back. She pulled out a little statuette with a family of woven, egg-shaped rabbits standing over a wooden hemisphere. No matter which way she tilted the statue, the rabbits would always right themselves again.

"Thanks, Angel!" Fia jumped up and hugged her housemate. "This is going right next to my crystal flower!"

By the time the presents were all opened, the late afternoon sun was already drifting lazily across the sky. Giovanni, Fia, and Karma tirelessly moved around the kitchen as they made white wine garlic alfredo sauce and Italian sausage for the pasta that was simmering on the stove. Meanwhile, Haven, Nagisa, Gio, Lupe, Mio, and Mia seemed to be engaged in a heated battle of Go Fish.

Scowling, the youngest girl threw a card at the boy next to her. "Fine! Here's your stupid three!"

"Ow!" Gio begrudgingly paired the three with his own and placed the coupled cards in front of him. "Your turn, weirdo."

Nagisa sweat-dropped and looked to the white-haired girl sitting across from him. "Haven, do you have any queens?"

Shaking her head, Haven smiled a little. "Sorry, Go Fish, Gisa."

As she responded to him, Nagisa reached over and drew a card from the center pile. He matched the jack with one of his own and placed the pair in his pile of matches. "Mia, it's your turn."

"We can't play anymore," Mia and Mio complained loudly. "You two won't stop making googly eyes at each other."

"What are you talking about?" Haven turned to look at the twins with a puzzled expression.

Lupe spoke up first. "You two only ever ask the other for cards."

Sighing in annoyance, Gio added, "Yeah, and you've been glancing at each other almost exclusively. It's almost weirder than how close the twins are."

Mio and Mia jumped up together, sending the cards flying. "HEY!"

Blushing, Nagisa turned his gaze down to the cards in his hands.

"Dinner's ready~!" Fia called from the kitchen, where she was balancing an odd myriad of plates on her head and arms. "I'll bring over the plates in a minute, so you four better wash up!"

" _SI!_ " the Timo kids called back as they all scrambled towards the bathroom, stampeding and pushing each other out of the way.

Karma helped Giovanni set the table while Fia dished out the rich alfredo pasta to everyone. Gathering around the crowded living room table, everyone in the apartment began digging into their own plates. For once, the apartment was quiet, save for happy chewing.

Soon enough, Giovanni handed Karma the bottle of wine. "Here, Karma, would you do us the honors?"

The redhead looked at the tall man with a surprised look. He grinned appreciatively and pulled a knife from his pocket. Violently, he stabbed the cork and flicked the spongy material away. Bubbling spray flew from the top of the bottle and splashed Fia.

Florence smiled as she passed a napkin to Fia. "We now Christen you. You are officially of drinking age, _amore_ ," she declared as she held out a glass for Karma to fill. Florence handed the cup to Fia before having her own filled.

"Is _sorella_ gonna get wasted?" Lupe asked with a seemingly innocent expression.

"I hope so!" Giovanni laughed as he raised his glass to the sky and then clinked it against Fia's. "To my beautiful daughter - Hey!" His face fell as his wife confiscated the drink from him. " _Mio vino!"_

Florence clicked her tongue at him. "You're driving home, remember?"

"But Florence!" Giovanni whined like a kicked puppy. "I can take a drink!"

She shot him a look. "Besides, if we let you start now, you'll finish the entire bottle for her, and then some."

He pouted childishly. "I stopped myself after three bottles…"

" _Papino_ is a drunkard! _Papino_ is a drunkard!" the twins chanted together.

"Don't make me come over there!" Giovanni threatened while he accusingly pointed his fork at his children. He turned to Nagisa and Karma. "Would you like a drink, boys?" he smiled charmingly.

Nagisa nodded and accepted a glass politely. "Thank you, Mr. Timo."

Giovanni laughed. "You don't have to be so formal with me." He turned to pour a glass for Karma.

"Hey, thanks, Boss," Karma laughed. Winking, the redhead raised his glass to Fia.

"Why am I only adult here too young to drink?" Haven sighed.

"Ugh, adults are so pretentious…" Gio complained as he glared down at his food while those around him toasted.

Stealing food from each other's plates, Mio and Mia stuck their tongues out at their older brother. "You're just jealous!"

Fia laughed lightly. "Well, Gio, I don't mind sharing with you, but I'm pretty sure the twins would advantage of your drunken state."

Gio's face flushed. "A-Are you saying I can't hold my liquor?! G-Give me a glass!"

The twins feigned being hurt. "Are you trying to imply that we'd ever hurt our darling big brother? That's cruel, Fia!"

Lupe laughed. "Oh, they're definitely going to mess you up, Gio."

The teen's composure broke and he faltered. "M-Maybe I can wait a-a few years…"

The rest of dinner passed with an amicable atmosphere and, before long, the Timos were showing themselves out the door. "Try not to have too much fun!" they had all shouted as the door slammed shut.

Karma laughed as Fia slumped against the door with a sigh. "Lively group, aren't they?"

"Always," she replied with a small smile. "It's a little too much sometimes." She pushed herself back onto her feet and tried to walk past Karma into the kitchen, but a hand grabbing onto her arm stopped her. Fia looked up at her housemate with questioning eyes.

"I still haven't given you your present yet," Karma explained as he pulled out a business card from his pocket and placed it in Fia's hand.

Olive eyes roamed the laminated card. "A karaoke bar…?" Fia looked up at Karma with a smile. "Really? We're going to karaoke?!"

He smiled. "I think I'd like an encore for last time."

Fia retaliated by placing her hands on her hips. "If I recall, it's my birthday! If anyone owes anyone a song, it's you to me!" She laughed, even as Karma put her in a headlock and gave her a playful noogie.

* * *

"... _When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be!_ "

Fia laughed cheerfully as the song ended. She turned on her heel and bounded back to where her friends were sitting on a leather couch that extended around a polished, black coffee table. Squeezing herself between Karma and Haven, she passed the microphone to Nagisa.

"I'm not used to singing pop, but this is kind of fun!" Fia giggled as she took yet another heavy swig of her drink.

Karma pulled the drink away from her. "Slow down, Fia. You're going to get drunk off your ass."

Fia's already flushing face grew slightly redder as she pouted. "Will not - hic!" She covered her mouth with her hand to suppress her hiccups.

"Ha, I think you're already on your way to more than a little tipsy," he remarked coolly as he sipped at her drink.

"Shuddap!" Fia pouted more and stomped her foot childishly. "That's my drink anyway! - Hic - Give it back!" She lunged for her drink and fell into Karma's lap. Fia broke into a fit of giggles. "Hehehehe…!"

Karma wasn't sure what to do. Fia was too intoxicated to be teased, but not intoxicated enough that he felt like he had to be worried yet. Embarrassedly, he helped Fia back into a sitting position and shot back the rest of her drink in one go. It was going to be a long night.

"Someone should stop giving Tsu-chan alcohol!" Haven glared at the bartender, who put his hands up in defense as if to say 'I'm just doing my job.' Haven popped a chip in her mouth begrudgingly.

Nagisa stared at his friends blankly as he walked up to the screen. "What song am I singing again?"

"'The Energy Never Dies' by The Script," the bartender called as he left the room. The music started and lyrics appeared on the screen.

Nagisa's soft voice went well with the song.

" _We could all be blown to pieces  
Because time's a ticking bomb  
We could all be dead tomorrow  
But our love will carry on  
'Cause when you know, your days are numbered  
And you're looking in my eyes  
It's not the end, 'cause the energy never dies"_

Haven watched him with a slight grin.

" _I fell for you and I never got up_ ," Nagisa looked at Haven, blushing slightly.

She averted her gaze and popped another chip in her mouth.

"… _I'll take your hand and I'll hold real tight, I'll tell ya life's just a blink so don't think twice_ ," Nagisa finished.

"You have a nice voice, Gisa," Haven mumbled as he returned.

"Thanks. I know my range isn't nearly as large as Fia's though and I might have been a bit flat in places," Nagisa rubbed the back of his neck.

Fia giddily clapped. "YAY! Nagisa, that was great - hic - and that song was sooooooo - hic - much fun!"

"And ironically fitting," Karma said with a smirk.

Fia tilted her head back to look at Karma, who her back was turned to. "Whatcha mean, Karma?" she swayed slightly as she smiled at him.

He raised his eyebrow at her. "Our profession?"

"Oooooohhh!" she giggled. "I get it now!"

Karma shook his head. "I guess it's my turn then." He stood and got the microphone from Nagisa before sauntering up to the platform. "Someone put on 'Gentleman' by Between the Trees."

Nagisa grabbed the remote and punched in the song code. After a few moments of loading, the song began abruptly, but Karma was ready. He held the mic to his lips and sang,

" _Do you ever wonder what it would be like  
To stick around long enough for me to be polite?  
I swear I am a gentleman, I swear this is true.  
But you don't even care to notice  
You just act like you do."_

" _So tell me now  
Tell me, tell me what you want from me now  
_' _Cause I can't believe I'm still around.  
Tell me everything is gonna work out  
But I can't believe you  
No, no"_

The three were taken aback by how much power there was driving Karma's words. Nagisa and Haven watched the redhead with surprise and quiet respect, but Fia's gaze fell as she held her hand over her heart as she intently listened.

" _Stuck in traffic, running late for work again.  
I can't believe what you did, what you said  
Tellin' me you love me just to take it back again.  
Oh, I know  
You wish that you meant it."_

Karma's voice trailed off with the outro and silence filled the room again. He turned on his heel and tossed the microphone to Haven before plopping back down on the leather couch.

"So, you can actually sing," Haven smirked as she caught the mic.

He rolled his eyes at Haven's remark until his gaze fell on the quiet, lip-biting Fia. "Hey, you alright?"

Fia nodded slowly, keeping her gaze averted. "I…" She looked up at Karma with sincere, emotion-filled eyes. "Thank you for that, Karma… That was really meaningful…" Whether or not her cheeks were pink from her admittance or from the alcohol, she wasn't sure, but she embarrassedly turned away anyway and watched Haven make her way up to the platform.

Karma watched Fia for a few moments. He smiled softly, feeling pleasantly surprised. Subtly, he shifted closer to the girl beside him. "What's she singing?"

"'Arms' by Christina Perri," she answered quietly before standing and getting another drink from the bartender in the main hall.

"Why did she choose that one?" Nagisa asked curiously.

"Wally chose it from a pool of songs with lyrics that I know relatively well through a random algorithm," Haven replied from the stage. The music began and Haven sang the lyrics on the screen. She had a surprisingly melodic voice. It had a slight tremor, which fit the song well.

" _You put your arms around me  
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go  
You put your arms around me and I'm home  
How many times will you let me change my mind and turn around?  
I can't decide if I'll let you save my life or if I'll drown_

 _I hope that you see right through my walls  
I hope that you catch me 'cause I'm already falling  
I'll never let our love get so close  
You put your arms around me and I'm home_"

Nagisa stared at her intently. He wondered just how random Wally had actually been. Did he know about their little naps?

" _I try my best to never let you in to see the truth  
And I've never opened up  
I've never truly loved till you put your arms around me  
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go_"

After a few more lines, Haven looked up from the screen at the bluenette. " _You put your arms around me and I'm home_ ," she finished. Haven flopped onto the couch, "That's it. I'm done singing for the night."

"I think your voice was lovely," Nagisa smiled at her.

Haven blushed and looked away, "I'm not used to songs with lyrics."

Fia stumbled back into the room with a derpy smile. Her ears were turning red and she was quietly hiccuping as she walked over to Haven. "You were awesome - hic - Angel! I di'n't want to int'rupt so I waaaaaiiited - hic - outside the doooor."

"Well, someone's had too much to drink. Where's the bartender? I told him not to give her any more!" Haven sighed and handed her the mic.

"Hehehehehe. _Grazie~!_ " Fia ran, as much as a tipsy person can run, up to the platform and put her hands on her hips. "This is for the gentleman in the back row!"

Karma sweat-dropped. "Do you mean me…?"

"Tsu-chan, you're totally drunk," Haven sighed.

Without answering, perhaps because she was too excited or perhaps she couldn't through her giggling fit, she put on P!nk's 'True Love.'

" _Sometimes I hate every single stupid word you say.  
Sometimes I wanna slap you in your whole face.  
There's no one quite like you  
You push all my buttons down  
I know life would suck without you."_

"… What is this song about? Love or hate?" Haven gave Nagisa a confused look. He just shrugged back.

" _At the same time, I wanna hug you  
I wanna wrap my hands around your neck!  
You're an asshole but I love you  
And you make me so mad I ask myself  
Why I'm still here, or where could I go?  
You're the only love I've ever known  
But I hate you, I really hate you,  
So much, I think it must be_

 _True love, true looooove!"_

Fia drew out the last line and broke into a fit of laughter as the chorus began, but there was a very subtle waver in her voice as Fia's focus on the song broke.

Haven sighed repetitively. "Tsu-chan, you are drunk!"

Taking on a much more sad, soft and sweet tone, Fia continued.

" _Why do you rub me up the wrong way?  
Why do you say the things that you say?  
Sometimes I wonder how we ever came to be,  
But without you I'm incomplete…"_

As she finished the song, she lowered the microphone and, swaying slightly, made her way back to her friends. Fia handed the microphone to Karma and sat down on the couch in her familiar knees-under-chin position. Burying her red face in her arms, Fia began to giggle quietly in a flustered fit.

Karma glanced between the microphone in his hand and his drunken companion as he tried to process what just happened. "True love, huh?"

Olive eyes peeked out through side-swept, wavy bangs. "Tha's the shong!" she slurred.

The redhead shook his head quickly. Was it in his imagination, or was Fia's eyes flooding with a torrent of emotion? Karma reached over and brushed away what looked like a tear welling in the corner of one of her eyes before standing and making his way over the platform again. "'Savin' Me' by Nickelback," he called.

" _Heaven's gates won't open up for me  
With these broken wings I'm fallin' and all I see is you  
These city walls ain't got no love for me  
I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story  
And, oh, I scream for you come please,  
I'm callin' and all I need from you, hurry, I'm fallin', I'm fallin'..."_

Karma didn't have Chad Kroeger's raspy voice, but the hollowness floating out of his words gave his voice a similar effect.

" _Show me what it's like  
To be the last one standing  
And teach me wrong from right  
And I'll show you what I can be.  
Say it for me, say it to me  
And I'll leave this life behind me  
Say it if it's worth saving me."_

Rubbing the back of his head, Karma turned around and held the mic out to his housemates. "You want another turn, Nagisa?" he asked.

"I'm still looking for another song." The bluenette shook his head. "You could do another one."

Karma shot his roommate a skeptical look. "I think I'm done for tonight." He sat on the floor and leaned back against the foot of the couch as he snatched some of the snacks on the table.

Fia grabbed the abandoned microphone and the song remote with a strained sluggishness.

"Tsu-chan, you're still really drunk," Haven said with a sigh.

Nagisa smiled warily. "Maybe you shouldn't go back up there, Fia…"

She pouted and held the microphone tightly. "I can - hic - do it fr' here… I n'd t'is one." Fia's words were not nearly as slurred as before so, with a reluctant exchanging of glances, Nagisa and Haven relented. She punched in the code for Carrie Underwood's 'That's Where it Is' and slowly brought the microphone to her lips as she stood firmly.

" _When I'm crashing through the madness,  
Not sure who I'm supposed to be,  
When I'm caught up in the darkness,  
It's your hand that's leading me,  
You bring me back to solid ground,  
You lift me up right here, right now."_

Despite her drunken state, Fia managed to sing with surprising clarity. She opened her arms as her voice filled the room as if to create a window into her own heart. Her voice rose and fell with the dynamics of the song, rose and fell as her emotions got the better of her.

" _It's a lifetime filled with tight embraces  
The biggest things in the smallest places!"_

The bridge boomed and suddenly collapsed into another impassioned chorus.

" _In the sweetest smile, on a night like this,  
And a tender touch, that's where it is,  
When we're tangled up, and can't resist,  
When we feel that rush, that's where it is"_

Trembling olive eyes met intent orange ones.

" _That's where it is…"_

With her final line, Fia fell back onto the couch with a weak hiccup. She drowsily fell against Karma and her microphone rolled towards Nagisa. He grabbed it with a concerned smile.

"Fia, we were supposed to sing a duet, right?" the bluenette asked.

Her only answer was soft snoring as her head rested heavily against Karma's chest.

"Karma?" Nagisa asked with a wary smile.

As he pulled off his jacket and draped it on Fia, the redhead shot Nagisa a sour look that read "Like hell am I going to sing a love song with you."

Nagisa turned instead to Haven and smiled at her. "Would you sing with me, Haven?"

"I guess," she shrugged and went to get another mic.

"You guys are singing 'Distance' by Christina Perri right?" Karma asked.

"Umm… yes. I think so," Nagisa replied.

"How fitting," Karma smirked as Nagisa blushed slightly. Haven returned momentarily with the second mic and went to join Nagisa on the stage. He sang the first stanza.

" _The sun is filling up the room  
And I can hear you dreaming  
Do you feel the way I do right now?  
I wish we would just give up  
Cause the best part is falling  
Call it anything but love_"

He smiled at Haven as she joined in for the chorus. Their voices rang together in a comfortable harmony.

" _And I will make sure to keep my distance  
Say, "I love you," when you're not listening  
And how long can we keep this up, up, up?_"

Enchanted, Nagisa continued to watch her as she sang the next stanza solo. She shot him several furtive glances as her cheeks reddened ever so slightly.

" _Please don't stand so close to me  
I'm having trouble breathing  
I'm afraid of what you'll see right now  
I give you everything I am  
All my broken heart beats  
Until I know you'll understand_"

Haven's cheeks seemed slightly pinker, but it could have just been the light and the warmth of the room. Nagisa, trying to hide his own embarrassed countenance, faced the screen and sang out the lyrics on it with as much feeling as he could muster.

" _And I keep waiting  
For you to take me  
You keep waiting  
To save what we have_"

Haven joined him for the cascading ending.

" _So I'll make sure to keep my distance  
Say, "I love you," when you're not listening  
And how long can we keep this up, up, up?_"

" _Make sure to keep my distance  
Say, "I love you," when you're not listening  
How long 'til we call this love, love, love?_"

* * *

Eyes fluttered open and drowsily searched the scene in front of them. A swirling array of stars floated overhead and a frigid night breeze crept stealthily around the college students. Fia flinched as fluttering red hair tickled at her cheek.

"Karma…?" Fia tried to call his name but her throat was dry and her voice raspy.

The redhead looked to his shoulder and smirked. "Who's the Sleeping Beauty now?"

Fia blushed slightly and buried her face in his neck drowsily. "I c'n walk 'n m'own…" she mumbled.

Karma dropped Fia onto her feet and watched as she failed to be able to walk in anything remotely resembling a straight line. He held out his arm to catch her as she stumbled and she clung to it with a goofy smile.

"I had'a'we'rd dream!" Fia proclaimed as she looked up at the swirling sky.

"What was it?" Nagisa asked tentatively from where he was standing a little ways ahead of them.

"Haven had-had a rev'se harem!" she declared.

"What?!" Haven looked at her friend with surprise. "Do explain!"

"Does your drunkenness just come in waves or something?" Karma asked as he steadied the girl once again.

Fia huffed as her cheeks reddened. "I dunno! Haven had all da types of b'friends! Kavi is the cool type, y'know? And Benny was the nat'ral type! Wally can be the cuuuuuuuuuuuute one. Earnest's m'sch'vous!"

"I-I think of him like a brother!" Haven protested.

"and Richard Mc-Dicky is Mr. Wild!" Fia continued.

"He IS my brother!" Haven interjected, flustered.

"Aaaaannndddd Nagisa!" The drunk Italian pointed at the bluenette. "Was the princely type!" She put her hands on her hips and swayed a little. "Dreamsh are sho weird!"

Haven and Nagisa both began blushing profusely. They accidentally made eye contact and quickly looked away.

Fia pouted and clung to Karma's arm again. "Was jusht a dr'm…" she shrugged

"Tsu-chan, you are so drunk," Haven mumbled.

"That's the understatement of the century," Karma sighed.

"Dun be mean, Karma!" Fia's pout grew, but she giggled suddenly. "'Cause you're the besht type!"

Karma's cheeks grew red, but he shot her a skeptical look. "C'mon. We need to get you home. You're way too drunk." He started pulling the girl along.

Fia began to mope. "Ya dun b'lieve me…" She puffed out her cheeks in dejected protest but she went along anyway.

* * *

Karma held onto the back of Fia's jacket and she went stumbling through the front door. He steadied her as he walked her to her room and helped her to flop onto her own bed.

Fia rolled around a little bit and finally stopped to sprawl out. Red-faced, Fia sat up and crossed her arms. "I won't do it!"

"Do what?" Karma sweat-dropped as Haven walked into the room and flopped on her bed.

"Shleep wit'out Bacio!" Fia announced with a cross-face.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," he sighed as she shook her head profusely. "Alright, where is the damned thing?"

"Bacio's a he!" she protested with flailing arms.

"In the closet," Haven called from the pillow currently covering her face.

Karma moved to get Bacio from the closet but he scowled. "The hell is it doing in here anyway?" He grabbed the guinea pig and threw it to Fia, who squealed and rolled around her bed with the plush.

"Ah!" Fia sat up quickly again. "The dishes!"

"Oh, hell no. You get your ass to sleep," Karma jabbed Fia's forehead with a finger.

"That's my job anyways," Haven reminded them as she propped herself up on her elbows.

Rubbing her head, Fia nodded and flopped back down onto her bed. "G'night, Angel! G'night, Karma!"

"Go to sleep, Tsu-chan. You're drunk."

Karma shook his head as he pulled the blankets over Fia's curled up form. "Just shut up and go to bed."

Olive eyes peered up at Karma and a slight giggle escaped her lips. "Mkay~ You're shtill t'e best, Karma~" With that, Fia turned her face into her pillow and dozed off again.

* * *

As Karma entered his bedroom, Nagisa looked up from his notebook. He had been going through his notes on his roommate. "Karma, you haven't gotten into a single fight since we moved here have you?"

Karma looked at him tentatively.

"You haven't gone on a single date either."

"Yeah, so what?" Karma asked.

"Nothing much," Nagisa shrugged, "I'm just curious about what changed."

Karma fell onto his bed with an exasperated sigh. "So what's up with you and Haven?"

"Don't change the subject," Nagisa blushed.

"Princely type, huh?"

"She was intoxicated," Nagisa threw a pillow at the redhead.

Karma caught it and started laughing. With a sigh, Nagisa smiled wryly and let out a dry laugh.

"And you're 'the best type'!" Nagisa called back.

"Hey!" Karma threw the pillow back and the boys laughed together.

* * *

Fia: (Holding her head in her hands) Oww…

Karma: (Smirking) Your first hangover?

Fia: (Blushing profusely) Wh-What even happened last night…?

Haven: Let's see… you slept through your duet with Nagisa… dedicated your rendition of 'True Love' to Akabane… and said something about my reverse harem, which included an AI, someone I think of as a brother, and my actual brother.

Fia: (Face turns more and more red by the moment) _Ch-che cazzo_ … I'm never getting drunk again… I remember all of that… Kind of…

Haven: Sure you won't… sure you won't.

Fia: I won't! I-I think that's going to h-haunt me for longer than I'd like to a-admit…

Karma: Then you'll just love the videos I took~

Fia: YOU DID WHAT?! (Becoming scarlet) D-Delete those!

Nagisa: (Sighs) Karma…

Karma: (Laughing) Can't delete what doesn't exist.

Fia: I'd say not to tease me, (pouts) but I guess I set myself up for this… Hey, Karma?

Karma: What?

Fia: (Blushes and looks up at him) Thank you… (Runs and hides behind the narrator)

Narrator: Disclaimer - I don't own any of the songs used in this chapter. They're all really good songs and I suggest you listen to them, credits to the artists. Now, next time…

Fia: Wait, one last thing! There was another birthday a few days ago.

All: _Happy Birthday to you!  
Happy Birthday to you!  
Happy birthday dear right-side-of-narrator's-brain_ (many confused looks)  
 _Happy Birthday to you!_

Narrator: Ah! I'm touched!

Gio: Why did we sing to only one side of the narrator's brain?

Lupe: Really? Did you not catch that there are two authors? Obviously, the narrator's brain is the embodiment of both. (Sighs) Stupid Gio. Stupid Gio everywhere.

Gio: H-Hey! It wasn't that obvious!

Haven: (rolls eyes) Not at all… I mean, it's just in the summary.

Right Brain: Thank you guys soooooo much! I love you all~! (Teary) I'm sorry that we put you through so much…!

Left Brain: Can we move onto the next chapter preview? (Bored expression)

Right Brain: C'mon! We need to cherish this moment! Also, bask in the creative process! WE JUST WROTE A FOURTH OF WHAT COULD BE A HUNDRED! (Pops party-poppers) The colors! The sweet taste of cake! I don't want to move on yet!

Fia: I think I want to move on and just forget this ever happened…

Left Brain: We seem like a nutcase. (sigh) At least now you know where the two girls' personalities come from.

Nagisa: I think Fia is a little less… Out there…

Right Brain: Isn't this how all people think…? Does no one else argue with herself? Oh, woe is I! I mean 'we'?

Left Brain: Since when are we a 'her'?

Right Brain: Aren't we? Hahahahahahaha, does it matter? (Emitting rainbows and flowers) We're all part of the same ecosystem!

Left Brain: We're not in an ecosystem. We're floating in a void.

Right Brain: What about the ecosystem of nerves that make us up? We don't live in a void! We live in a cranium in a body in a community in a nation in a planetary system in a solar system in a universe - I guess that is a void. (Giggles)

Left Brain: (facepalm)

Fia: Karma, I'm getting scared… Can I hide behind you? (Is already doing so)

Karma: (Rolls eyes) As if I'd be able to stop you anyway, or even them.

Left Brain: Can I request my own cranium?

Right Brain: ( o A o )Z You'd abandon me!? Duuuuuunnnnn gggooooooooo! (T ^ T )

Left Brain: (sigh) Why me?

Nagisa: Why don't we move onto the next chapter preview before this becomes a civil war?

Left Brain: Civil war… that doesn't sound like a bad idea.

Right Brain: (Goes to sulk in a corner. Draws circles into the nervous system.) On the next chapter… (Begins crying.) You're soooo cold and meeaaannn!

Fia: Really…? On your birthday? Please don't cry! (Rushes over to help)

Left Brain: (blank expression) I'm sorry… I was talking about seeing the movie. Can we get back to work now?

Narrator: Now that my brain's back together-ish, time for the preview! A familiar situation and a familiar dress!


	26. Chapter 26: Mini Time 2nd Period

"Angel, let's get going," Fia called from where she was leaning against the front door.

"Just let me finish changing!" Haven called from the girls' bedroom.

"Where are you two going?" Nagisa asked.

"We're having a girls' day out with Felicia," Fia smiled as she smoothed out her short-sleeved, green ruffle blouse over her white, high-waisted jeans. She grabbed the key she always wore around her neck and twirled it around her fingers. "I don't know if I should be feeling more excited or nervous about seeing _sorella_ …" she laughed anxiously.

Karma approached Fia and placed his hand on the door behind her. Smirking, he leaned his face in close to hers and tugged on one of her shirt ruffles with a free hand. "Hey, Tsu-chan~," he crooned.

The Italian blushed profusely. "H-Hi, Karma. W-Why are y-you so close to me?!"

"To see that face~." Karma pulled away and shoved his hands quickly into his pockets with a smug grin. "Where's Haven?"

Haven walked out in a very girly outfit and tossed Nagisa two shirts. "I think these are yours." He began inspecting the shirts.

"You two still haven't sorted out the laundry?" Karma asked, snickering.

"This one's definitely mine," Nagisa looked at the other shirt carefully, "but this one is yours, Haven."

"Really?" Haven shifted uncomfortably, "It doesn't exactly fit me, so I thought it was yours for sure."

Nagisa looked up at the slightly blushing girl as he handed her shirt back. He deadpanned when he saw what she was wearing. "Where did you get that outfit, Haven?" he asked, mortified.

She was wearing knee high black stockings with black boots, a short red plaid skirt trimmed with white lace and two pink ribbons down the front, and a black shirt that went off the shoulders that was held up by pink ribbon straps. On the left side of the shirt, another pink ribbon laced into a good sized floppy bow. Around each wrist, she wore thick red leather straps that were fastened with large silver buckles. A red choker was fastened around her neck with another silver buckle

"My closet. I think Fia's mother brought it… It fits me surprisingly well," Haven took the shirt back to her room.

Fia tilted her head slightly. " _Mami_ , brought me a couple of skirts, but she didn't say she was going to leave anything for you. Are you sure she brought it?"

"No, I just found that to be the most logical assumption," Haven walked back into the living room.

Karma couldn't keep his laughter in. He bursted out in a roaring fit. "At least you look more like a girl now," he smirked, "Even more than Nagisa did in that outfit."

"Why did you save that?!" Nagisa blushed.

"For comic relief!" Karma laughed.

* * *

Fia threw her arms around her older sister as soon as she spotted the tall brunette standing outside the mall entrance. " _Sorella~!_ " she cried happily.

" _Sorellina_ , you're late," Felicia smirked as she pinched Fia's pink cheeks.

"T'at hu'ts!" the younger sister said with a pout.

Releasing Fia with a light laugh, Felicia turned towards the approaching white-haired girl. "Hey, Haven. Good to see you again. I like the outfit~."

"Thank you. It's Nagisa's," Haven smiled softly.

Felicia raised an eyebrow but shook her head with a smile. "Alright, kiddos. Let's go." She turned on her strappy sandals and led the girls into the mall. "Where to?"'

"Didn't you say something about VS, Tsu-chan?" Haven asked, a slight pink settled on her cheeks.

The auburn-haired girl blushed and rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish grin. "Y-Yeah. You don't mind, Angel?"

Felicia threw her arm around Fia's shoulders with a laugh. "Did you up a cup again?"

"N-No! A-Actually, I think I've finally settled into my size…" Fia said slowly. "Are you still changing?"

"Nah, I'm a solid triple D," Felicia laughed. She reached around Fia from behind and squeezed the younger girl's chest in your hands. "Aww, you're so cute with your doubles!"

Olive skin turned dark red. "FEE'CIA!" Fia wrestled her older sister off of her and began storming her way towards the nearest Victoria's Secret.

Felicia flipped her hair with a light laugh as she turned to Haven. "Ready to go?"

"I guess…" Haven began following Fia.

The younger Italian girl stared blankly at the short girl who had just entered the store behind her. "A-Angel… I never thought I'd live to see the day that you came in HERE." She stifled a giggle. "Just wanted to look around or -?"

Felicia strolled into the store, past the girls, and headed directly for the bathing suits, navigating around the racks as if she lived in the store.

"I… I thought I was done growing…" Haven fidgeted nervously. "I guess I was wrong…" she trailed off, blushing.

Fia gave Haven a sympathetic look. "I understand the feeling… Trust me." She scanned the store quickly before turning back to her friend. "Do you need some help?" She smiled reassuringly.

"I've never bought one before… much less been in here before…" the white-haired girl mumbled.

Nodding, Fia went over to take Haven by the arm and pulled her towards the fitting rooms. She waved over a store attendant wearing a measuring tape draped around her neck.

"Excuse me, Miss. My friend needs a fitting," Fia said cheerfully as she bounced and swayed to the upbeat music. Haven stared at the confident Italian with surprise. Fia laughed with rosy cheeks. "This is almost a second home to me."

The woman turned around, and it was Felicia who was smiling at them. "Oh? Is that so? My associate will be right with you~."

Fia shot her sister a look. "Why do you have THAT?"

Felicia stretched the measuring tape between her hands with a sadistic grin. "Oh, you know~. Reasons~."

"Why are you handling it like a choke wire?" Haven shrunk behind Fia.

The older woman laughed. "Because, if I didn't, I'd have to worry that Fia would run away." She stuck her tongue out with a grin.

"I'm never coming here with you guys again…" Haven whispered, mortified.

Shaking her head, Fia smiled wryly at her roommate. "Trust me, it's not usually like this. Here -" She led Haven to a fitting room with a mirror-clad door that read 'Angel.' "See! This one has your name on it. Anna works here, so just wait inside for a little bit." With that, Fia disappeared into the fitting room labeled 'Sweetheart.'

"Why does it have my nickname on it?" Haven grimaced, "Are they stalkers?"

Laughing, Felicia gestured to all of the doors. "No, Haven. All of the doors are labeled with words that are supposed to give women confidence." She winked and slipped into the fitting room labeled 'Bombshell,' toting several lacy bras in hand.

"So, a case of positive reinforcement," Haven mumbled to herself, "I don't see the point, but whatever floats your boat, I guess…"

An elegant-looking, middle aged woman approached Haven with a smile. "Hello, dear. Did you need a fitting?"

Haven squeaked before nodding her head stiffly.

* * *

Karma returned to the apartment while swinging a familiar key around his finger and pulling a cart of tediously-labeled boxes behind him. He wheeled his bounty into the living room and flopped down on the couch. Sliding the key into his pocket with one hand, he reached over to grab a notebook lying on the top of the boxes.

"Let's see…" Karma said to the empty room as he opened the notebook. He skimmed the pages. "What the hell, Fia? Why are there so many experiments in here? … At least she's pretty detailed."

He skimmed a few more pages and his eyes widened. Some of the chemical formulas were for trivial things like making elastic bubbles that were difficult to pop and creating color-changing concoctions. Others seemed much more deadly in nature, but weren't solely dated recently like he might have expected for their missions.

Karma laughed as he found a page labeled "bioluminescence." Attached to the page with a green paperclip, there was a photograph of Fia and Haven, one smiling and the other completely unamused, glowing together in the dark. On the left note-taking side, he found a doodle of a superhero that looked like Fia who was using flashlight powers to shoo away a villainous shadow. He couldn't help but think that the power suited his housemate.

* * *

The woman named Anna smiled kindly as she walked with Haven out of the changing room area. "You're a 32A, dear. I'm going to bring some for you to try on, so please wait here." She hurried off.

"Tsu-chan, if I'm an A, do I still have to wear a bra?" Haven whisper-shouted.

Fia laughed from inside her changing room. "Not necessarily," she began. "There are supports built into tank tops that you can wear, or… Some girls forgo wearing a bra, but I recommend the support."

A petty whine could be heard from the same fitting room. "I brought these for you to try on, not for you to just stare at them," Felicia sighed exasperatedly.

"Th-That's nothing more than strings!" Fia protested. "I wanted a bathing suit, not a rubberband ball!"

Haven groaned. "Tsu-chan, how will this affect my swim wear?"

Fia poked her head out from behind her door. "The one you have should still fit; although, it might be a little tighter on top. You might want to buy a new one if that doesn't suit you." She laughed. "Will you tell my sister that she isn't going to get me into a bikini?"

"JUST WATCH ME!" Felicia laughed. "I know you love the sun just as much as I do."

"What's a bikini?" Haven sighed.

Felicia's head appeared over Fia's. She looked at Haven incredulously. "Are you serious…?"

"From what Fia says, I assume it lacks surface area…" Haven confessed.

Pushing open the door, Fia stepped out of her fitting room and held out floral, green two-piece bathing suit that tied around the neck. "A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit for women. It doesn't have to be showy like that -" Fia gestured towards her sister, who was wearing a strapless black bikini laced up the sides with red ribbon. Fia smiled.

Haven's face went red. "Those articles of clothing have less surface area than I imagined…"

Fia put the bathing suit down and laughed lightly. "We can both look for one-pieces together in a different store," she said as she stuck her tongue out at Felicia. "Did you find everything you needed?"

Just as Fia said it, Anna returned with a few simple white and black bras in hand. "Here you are. Please push the help button if you need anything," she requested with a gentle tone as she handed the bras to Haven.

"Right… how to do this… It seems intuitive enough," Haven mused as she disappeared into the changing room.

The Italians slipped back into their shared fitting room.

"I said don't touch me!" Fia giggled.

"Oh, get off of your high horse! The baby doll dress would look adorable on you!" Felicia's grin echoed in her voice.

"Not everyone can pull off a bustier like you! I'm not wearing that, _cazzo,_ that looks like something -"

"Mom would try to give you?" Felicia laughed.

"Ha-ha. Get out!" the other girl shouted.

There was a thud, followed by two giggling fits. Soon enough, there was a light knock on Haven's door.

"Angel?" Fia called. "How are you doing? My sister is in a different section of the store, so you won't have to worry about her," she tried to sound as reassuring as possible.

"These are the opposite of intuitive. How am I supposed to latch the hooks if they're in the back and slightly out of reach?" Haven grumbled through the door.

Smiling, Fia shook her head. "Mia had trouble with the same thing. You can latch it in the front first and turn it around if that's easier for you. There are front clasping bras too, but they often stretch out since they're not adjustable."

"Mia wears a bra?" Haven sounded slightly shocked.

"She is fourteen, you know. She used to," Fia admitted. "Before she started binding and swapping clothes with Mio."

"Binding? Is that a viable alternative for me?" Haven asked.

The Italian sweat-dropped. "I hear it's pretty uncomfortable for most… Why don't you just try those on, and I'll meet you by the check-out line?"

Haven sighed in response, "Will I have to also change my wardrobe now?"

* * *

Felicia laughed as she watched her sister stare, pouting, at herself in the mirror. "Your friend didn't leave us to our family time and we didn't go to ten billion different stores just for you to scowl at yourself in the mirror. You should definitely get that one, _sorellina_."

Grabbing the hem of the dress and spinning around so that the dress opened up and flowed around her, Fia curtsied at the mirror. She giggled a little. "You think so?"

" _Che carino,"_ Felicia chimed. "I'm definitely buying you a few of these. Especially since the spring dance is coming up. What's with the sudden change of heart?"

Fia tilted her head at her older sister. "What do you mean?"

Felicia sauntered over to her shopping companion and put her hands over Fia's shoulders from behind. "Look at yourself in the mirror, Fia." Waiting until her sister did as she asked, Felicia placed her chin on Fia's shoulders next to her hands. "You stopped letting me dress you up like this in middle school."

Blushing but smiling wryly, Fia sighed softly. "I-I love things like this, I just… I'm sh-shy…"

She smiled gently. "I know. So why do you seem more sure of yourself now?"

"H-Huh?" the younger Timo exclaimed. "I don't know what you mean." Cheeks flushed and olive eyes dodged emerald ones.

"Oh? Must I spell it out? For one, you've been able to approach most of the store attendants without stuttering too badly. I mean, you're still as blushy as ever -" Felicia pulled on her sister's cheeks, "- but that was really something. And now you're wearing cute clothes?"

" _Dio!_ " Fia laughed as her sister's hands moved from her cheeks to tickling her sides. "I-I don't know!" she gasped between giggles.

Shaking her head, Felicia relented and let her sister go. "I bet it was him."

"Eh?" Fia met Felicia's smiling face with a blank face of her own. "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing, nothing at all. _Andiamo, sorellina!_ " Felicia called as she gathered up the clothes she'd picked out.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" Fia whined. "Let me change first, though!"

* * *

"Karma, I don't think this is the best idea," Nagisa walked over to his roommate and sat next to him. "What are you even trying to do?"

"The shrinking potion, I think it could be useful," Karma smirked as he picked up a test tube filled with a red substance.

The front door slammed open and Karma dropped the container of red liquid into the beaker. The substance exploded in his and Nagisa's faces. Haven bursted into the living room carrying half a dozen bags.

Choking on the smoke, Karma waved off the cloud and threw open a window. "WHAT THE HELL, HAVEN?!" Ignoring the bluenette dizzily standing in the smoke cloud, he angrily turned towards the girl.

"HOW ARE YOU BLAMING THIS ON ME?!" she gritted her teeth. "I'm not the one messing with chemicals! You know, I was planning on dropping this stuff off and going somewhere, but now, I think I'll smack you instead," Haven ran towards Karma and tried to hit him. Of course, he dodged. Haven began chasing the red head around the room.

Nagisa finally caught her around the waist. "Calm down, Haven"

"Let me at him!" Haven flailed in Nagisa's grip.

"Haven, please stop struggling," Nagisa sighed, his blush increasing.

"Reminds me of that time in middle school. Both Isogai and Maehara needed to hold me back, but Sugino held you back in a similar manner," Karma laughed at the scene.

"I'll get you back for this, I swear I will!" Haven continued to flail against Nagisa's arms.

Karma began to laugh when suddenly, his clothes were in a heap on the floor and he was nowhere to be seen. A few moments later, the arms that had been restraining her fell away and Nagisa's clothes fluttered into a pile at her feet. Haven grabbed the piles of clothes off of the floor and put them in a clothes hamper.

"I have no desire to see either of you naked, so wait in there until I get you some clothes," Haven called into the pile. A few moments later, she tossed two sets of doll clothes in. "Tell me when you're done."

* * *

"And that's why I'm taking art, dance, music, and performance classes," Fia sighed. "I only need a couple of credits more to complete my major and I think this is a good opportunity to explore and reconnect with our roots."

Felicia nodded. "Leave it to my lil' sis' to have declared her major from the moment she stepped foot at college. I think… It's good that you're looking for yourself; I found myself out there on the streets. Just be careful about _Mami_ , alright? I don't know how thrilled she'll be when she figures out where you're trying to go."

The sisters sipped at their espressos and sat together on one of the mall benches as they watched people pass by.

"There are a lot of couples here today, aren't there?" Fia asked as she glanced around.

Felicia cocked an eyebrow. "I guess you're right. Speaking of couples, isn't that your friend? He was one of the kids you showed me from the photos on your phone," she explained, pointing to a brunette standing in front of the Game Stop with another girl. They were laughing together and looking over a catalog.

Fia followed her sister's line of vision. "BENNY?!"

The boy looked up and around, searching for the source of the voice. Brown eyes found the pair of females sitting on the bench and widened. Rubbing the back of his head, Benny gestured to his companion and made his way over to where Fia was.

"H-Hey, Fia…" Benny greeted awkwardly.

"H-Hi, Benny…" Fia replied quietly. "How've you been?"

Benny smiled slightly. "It's been good. How are you?"

Fia sighed in relief, happy to see that her friend seemed to be in better spirits. "I'm good! Fee'cia and I are having a lot of fun - Oh! You haven't met my sister, have you?" She turned towards her sister with a happy smile.

The copper-and-bronze-haired woman smirked up at the brunette. "Nice to meet'cha," she said with a curt wave. "So who's your friend?"

He blushed slightly. "Oh… Um, that's a classmate of mine. She's a freshman and international student in my class, so I thought I'd show her around a little bit."

Felicia smiled as she stared intently at the girl waiting by the shop entrance. "She likes you. Why not ask her out?"

Benny's cheeks turned really red. "Y-You really think she d-does?!" he blurted. "I-I mean, if you say so…"

Fia giggled slightly. "Well, we'll let you get back to your tour. See you around, maybe?"

He nodded slowly. "Um, one more thing, Fia? How's Haven been? Is she and that other guy, you know -"

Shaking her head, Fia replied tentatively. "Angel is doing alright. We actually got her out of the house today, if that's any indication. You know how she is," she said playfully and they laughed together in a friendly way. "As far as the other question goes, I don't know where that's going to go."

Benny smiled. "Well, good luck to her. I would ask you to say 'hi' to her, but, you know. See you around, Fia." He turned with a wave.

Felicia and Fia exchanged glances and then laughed together. Felicia checked her watch.

"Hey, _sorella_ , I'm going to have to go soon. Are you going to be fine getting back to the apartment on your own?" Felicia asked, placing her hand over Fia's.

The younger sister nodded. "Thanks, sis, but I'll be fine! I better get going too, before my housemates kill each other." Fia laughed at her own half-hearted joke.

* * *

"Karma, you're in for it now! This is for every prank you've ever played," Haven cackled as she held him over the trash can.

"You know, if you drop me in there, I'll live," Karma yawned. Haven shook him a bit before carrying him to the bathroom.

"I could flush you away," Haven dangled him over the toilet.

"I'll run into some radioactive sewer waste and come back to kill you," Karma smirked. Haven sighed as she walked into the kitchen and hung him over the garbage disposal.

"I doubt you'd be able to get out of this one," Haven smirked.

"Think about the mess," Karma sweatdropped.

"I'll just fry you then," Haven placed him in a jar which she sat on the windowsill and placed a magnifying glass above.

The front door swung open with a bang. "I'm home~!" Fia chimed. Everything froze as Fia made eye-contact with Haven first and then her shrunken housemate. "EH?!"

Haven stepped in front of the jar in the windowsill and looked at her roommate guiltily. A stream of high pitched profanities came from behind her.

Fia dropped her bags and ran over to where the guilty girl was standing. "Angel, what happened? Is that Karma?!"

"Someone needed to be punished. He retrieved your chemicals, messed with your stuff, and made me angry," Haven pouted self-righteously.

Shaking her head, Fia circumvented Haven and leaned down to be at eye-level with the jar. She sweat-dropped as she saw Karma flicking Haven off with a huge scowl while trying to avoid catching on fire. "Even so, this is kind of dangerous, Angel." Fia grabbed the jar and safely pulled it away from the magnifying glass.

"If he hadn't sassed me, I would have been satisfied with threatening to throw him in the trash can."

Karma rolled his eyes and turned his back to the white-haired girl. "You're so damn petty."

The other girl sighed and shook her head. "You two…" Olive eyes widened and peered around. "Wait, where's Nagisa, then?"

"He's reading Sonic Ninja on my bed," Haven replied.

Fia stared blankly at her friend. "I'm not even going to ask." She gingerly slid Karma into the palm of her hand and carried the redhead over to the kitchen to assess the damage. Pouting, Fia shot a look at Karma. "Just what were you trying to do?!" she asked accusingly.

He sighed and grumbled an incoherent response, stubbornly refusing to cooperate.

"At least tell me where the key is, Karma?" she pleaded with a hopeful smile.

His eyes narrowed but he pointed towards his room. "Laundry basket."

Sighing, Fia turned to her roommate. "Hey, Angel. I'll put my shopping bags away in a moment, but I have to take these chemicals back to the storage locker. I'm going to take Karma with me so he can tell me exactly what he took, but can you look after Nagisa? We don't know where in the process the chemicals reacted and how that could affect the body, after all, the - Oh, you get what I mean."

"Of course, Tsu-chan~," Haven sang as she headed for her room, happy that she had gotten off rather lightly with Fia.

* * *

Karma stared up at Fia from where he was perched on her shoulder. "You're still red."

Fia blushed harder. "Sh-Shut up! I can't believe you tricked me like that!"

"I can't believe you got embarrassed just going through our laundry."

" _Dio!_ Maybe Angel had the right idea when she threatened to drop you," Fia laughed.

Karma growled then sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I gotta say, these are pretty well made for something you put together at home."

Smiling down at the boy on her shoulder, Fia giggled. "I gotta say, I'm liking the open flannel and beanie~."

He scoffed. "Just a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and a camera, and I'll look like a hipster wannabe."

Fia grinned. "I'm still loving the look on you." Embarrassedly, she averted her eyes with a bemused smile. "Y-You're really good looking, you know…"

The redhead's cheeks darkened slightly. "Still not digging the skinny jeans - They're digging into me."

She laughed as she pushed open the door to the storage facility and pulled the cart of chemicals through. "Hey, don't shoot the tailor. I can put in a complaint with the designer."

"Your mom?" Karma asked with a vague curiosity.

"No," Fia smiled, "Gio. Don't tell him I told you though."

* * *

Haven sat next to the miniaturized boy. An awkward silence fell between the two.

"How did your day at the mall go? You brought back a lot of bags," Nagisa asked as he ran around the book to turn the page.

"Oh," Haven flushed, "It went well… I guess."

"What did you buy?" the bluenette looked to the pink-cheeked girl.

"Just some clothes…" Haven mumbled and went to the many bags on the floor. She grabbed them, yanked open the closet, threw them into the void, and slammed the door shut behind her. Nagisa stared at her sudden outburst. Haven tried to walk nonchalantly over to the bed, but the door behind her popped open and a tide of tech objects flowed out along with the bags Haven had just thrown in. A certain pink striped bag had fallen sideways, its contents flowing onto the floor. Haven turned scarlet.

Nagisa also blushed and turned his gaze away. He gave Haven time to organize her wardrobe properly and only looked up when Haven had sat back down on the bed again. The girl was as red as a tomato and too flustered to talk.

"I thought you said you didn't wear one…" Nagisa said hesitantly.

"I grew…" Haven mumbled.

"Oh… that explains things…" Nagisa turned pink and silence echoed through the room. The creeping quiet refused to dissipate, even as the digital clock display blinked, minutes passing to hours.

* * *

The Italian draped her locker key around her neck and attached her house key to the chain as she closed the front door. "So you promise not to take my key or go through my chemicals again?" she asked Karma.

He smirked. "Alright, Lady Light."

Fia's cheeks reddened. "You saw the doodles in my lab notebook?"

Laughing, Karma nodded. "Sure did."

"That's so e-embarrassing!" she whined. "You going to tease me for not being able to draw?"

He smirked. "Yeah, 'cause I'm totally going to tell Karasuma you need to be dropped from the mission just because you can't draw."

"I can't believe you," Fia sighed, shaking her head with a smile.

"I can't believe you can't draw," Karma admitted. "You seemed like the type."

"I like drawing, but I'm not very good at it. What should be a flower ends up looking more like an exploding trampolene! Felix is the one who draws well. Felicia is our sculptor. If you want to see any of my paintings though, I'd be more than happy to show you." she smiled bashfully.

"And you're all musically inclined?" he asked.

Fia shook her head quickly. "Felix and I are the only ones who truly wanted to pursue music as kids. Fee'cia has a nice voice, but she gets really annoyed about reading music and performances. I don't think she cares for tradition, limitation, structure, or attention. The twins are more or less tone deaf when it comes to singing, but they pick up new instruments quickly. Last time I checked, Lupe was taking flute lessons, but she seems less interested in the music than she is in her male tutors." Fia sweatdropped. "Gio likes to sing but his voice might be, erm, still cracking. He sticks to playing the triangle."

"The triangle?"

" _Si_ ," Fia laughed. "He tried to learn the harp from _Mami_ and somehow got his foot stuck.

Karma laughed. "How do you get your foot stuck in a harp?"

"How do you accidentally swallow a clarinet reed?" she sweat-dropped. "That was really hard for me to get out of his throat." Smiling bashfully, Fia placed a kiss on her finger and touched that finger to Karma's tiny cheek. "Thank you. It's really rare that I get to talk so freely about things like this." Olive eyes scanned the apartment. "I take it you want to go back to your room?"

"You think putting me and that she-bitch in the same room is a good idea?" he asked flatly, past his burning cheeks.

"No, not really." Humming, Fia carried Karma back to his room and placed him on his pillow. "I'll see you later!" she waved cheerfully and left to go back to her room.

Karma sighed. "Man, this is annoying…" He sprawled out on his pillow, which could have been a giant's waterbed by his current size standards. How was he supposed to reach his phone, read his textbook, or get across the tundra that was his carpeted floor?

"Um…" Karma lifted his head and saw Fia standing in his doorway again. "Can I h-hang out in here for a while?" she asked tentatively. Quirking an eyebrow, he nodded. He watched the girl smile in relief and bound over to his bed.

"Thanks!" Fia tucked her knees in under her chin. "It was just so awkward in there."

"What are they doing?" Karma asked.

Shrugging, Fia's eyes found some interesting spot in the distance to stare at. "Nothing at all. They're not even talking… That's why it's so awkward… So… What are you up to?" She gave Karma a lopsided smile.

He grumbled, "I'm not surprised. Well, I need to read a chapter for my economics class, but this situation doesn't exactly lend itself to that, now does it?" Karma sneered as he draped an arm over his eyes.

Fia watched Karma for a few moments. She had a feeling he was more angry at something else he wasn't saying. Scanning the room, Fia found the economics book on his bedstand and picked it up. She carefully scooped Karma up in her hand.

"H-Hey!" the startled redhead clung to Fia's fingers for support until he felt the palm beneath him tilt away and found himself in Fia's jacket breast pocket.

"That should do," Fia nodded as she propped the open book on her abdomen and up against her knees. "What chapter?"

Karma growled and his sharp canine tooth flashed. "Hey! What the hell?"

The Italian girl smiled wryly. "I thought we could maybe read the chapter together…" she admitted shyly.

He sighed. "I could have just done it in the morning! Oh, whatever, chapter 13."

Flipping to the page, Fia slipped on a pair of fuschia, thick-rimmed glasses. "Okay, that's on trading and stocks, right?"

Karma stared up at Fia. "You wear glasses?"

She blushed profusely and hid her face in the book. "Y-Yeah… I just got them… For r-reading and whatnot…" she mumbled through the pages.

Locking his hands behind his head, Karma smiled softly. "They're cute."

Fia slowly lowered the book away from her face, that was turning the same color as her glasses. She smiled embarrassedly and bit her lip. " _G-Grazie_ , Karma… I appreciate that…" Big olive eyes moved from person to page and scanned words they found there. "Should we start here?" She pointed to a section and began reading aloud.

* * *

Nagisa woke up and looked around at the enormous expanse of white around him, only to realize that he was still miniaturized. The next thing he noticed was Haven, her breathing soft and eyelids heavily shut as she slept soundly beside him. Nagisa approached Haven's tilted face and gently placed a hand on her cheek. He couldn't believe how fast and hard he was falling for her. He couldn't believe that his lips were gently pressed against her moonlit cheek either, but there he was. Smiling down at her one last time, he whispered "goodnight" and slid down the sheets and onto the floor.

Nagisa took his time getting back to his room and, by the time he got through his doorway, he changed back to his normal size. Hurriedly and embarrassedly, he slipped into his own pajamas and crawled into bed. Too tired to notice, he didn't hear the pair of light snoring sounds together from the other side of his room.

* * *

Eyes fluttered open to light filtering in from the window. A drowsy smile spread across Fia's face. The morning sun made Karma's face glow with a golden warmth. Fia closed her eyes and didn't stir again until a little while later. In her sleep-induced haze, she pulled the blanket closer around her and snuggled into the source of radiating warmth.

"Cozy…" she mumbled quietly. Whatever she was cuddling against, it was soft and echoing with a soft rhythm.

"Hn…?" a groggy rumble echoed through Karma's chest.

Karma's chest… Fia's eyes flew open as she realized just what she had been resting her head on.

Nagisa awoke to high-pitched screaming. He sat up quickly in his bed and looked to Karma's bed, where the commotion was coming from.

"P-Put some c-clothes on! _Cazzo!_ " Fia yelled as she pulled the blanket over her head.

Karma turned red and yanked the blanket back to cover himself. "Why the hell are you covering yourself with the blanket?!"

Fia groaned and covered her red face with her hands. " _Dio!_ W-Why did I f-fall asleep here?!"

"I could be asking you that!" Karma said as he face-palmed.

Scrambling, Fia tried to escape but got her legs tangled in the blanket. She fell off of the bed and hit the floor face-first as the blanket settled around slowly, her like a tent.

"Are you okay, Fia?" Nagisa asked with concern.

Swearing loudly, Karma grabbed his pillow for coverage just as Fia staggered back onto her feet with the blanket still over her head.

"I-I'm fine!" she squeaked unconvincingly as she began to run again towards her room. She hit the doorframe with a concerningly-loud thud. Made dizzy by the impact, Fia spun around a few times, a wavering, red sheet ghost, before managing to squeeze through the doorframe and finally make her escape.

The boys exchanged wary glances and Karma, rubbing the back of his head, forced his furious blush to subside.

"How are you still clothed?" Karma asked as he, holding the pillow still, got up to shut the door and change.

Nagisa laughed dryly. "I snuck out this morning. You didn't think staying awake until you changed back was a good idea, or at least asking Fia to leave?"

Karma shook his head as he belted his pants. "She fell asleep before me. I couldn't wake her up…" He thought about how he'd fallen asleep listening to her heartbeat. "I guess I just fell asleep too," he shrugged at his roommate. Sighing, Karma sat heavily down on his bed and picked up the glasses folded neatly on his bedstand. He smiled wryly and pocketed the pair for later. "To another interesting day?"

Laughing, Nagisa nodded. "As usual," the bluenette added with a smile.

* * *

Fia: (still covering her face) Does he have clothes on yet?

Haven: Is that what that screaming was about this morning?

Fia: (meek nodding)

Karma: Hey, Fia -

Fia: EEP! (Hides behind Haven)

Karma: (sweat drops) You forgot these. (Takes glasses and places them carefully on her face, using a finger to push them up her nose.)

Fia: (scrunches up face and blushes) Th-Thanks…

Nagisa: Oh, Fia. How are you feeling?

Fia: (Tilts head) What do you mean?

Nagisa: (sweat-drops) You hit your face quite a few times back there…

Fia: Oh! (Happy laughing) I'm fine~! I've got a hard head, remember? (knocks on her skull)

Haven: I think that's beside the point, Tsu-chan…

Fia: Don't worry, my siblings always told me that no matter how many times I hit my face or head, I won't get any uglier or dumber! (dry laughter)

Haven: …That's not exactly something to be… proud about.

Fia: H-Heh… (Blushes) S-Sorry, Karma. I p-promise I didn't s-see anything!

Karma: (shoves hands in pockets and shrugs, but looks away with red cheeks)

Narrator: Well, now that everyone is full sized and has their clothes on again, time for the next chapter preview! Someone bites off more than he can chew with those pointy fangs of his and yet another experimental mishap?!

Left Brain: Also, I'm having a few personal difficulties, so I might be taking a back seat for a while... I'll try to help out though!

Right Brain: So we'll all be here to support our lovely Left Brain! I'll try my best, guys~! I can't wait to see how tiny and cute - Ah! No spoilers~ Stay tuned! 3

Left Brain: I can't believe how sassy she is…


	27. Chapter 27: Playdate Time 1st Period

Karma kicked the front door open hard that Saturday afternoon. He didn't care that the door had slammed shut behind him, and he certainly didn't care if anyone could hear him storm in. Finding his way into the living room, he flopped down onto the couch with an angry groan and kicked his muddy, shoe-clad feet up on the table.

Fia hesitantly slid out of her room and shut the door as silently as she could manage. She shuffled into the living room, first-aid kit in hand. "Karma?" she called softly as she approached him.

The redhead shot Fia a glare as he sat forward and returned his feet to the floor. "I'm not in the mood to talk."

"I'll be in the mood to listen, whenever you might be in the mood to talk," Fia promised as she tentatively sat down on the table. Placing the first-aid kit in her lap, she popped open the lid and pulled out a pack of cotton swabs and disinfectant.

"I see you're being as stubborn as ever," Karma spat. "How'd you know? You walked out with that damned kit as soon as I got through the door."

Fia was silent as she let the cotton balls soak up the disinfectant alcohol. "Rebecca stopped by to tell me that she saw you outside of the student cafeteria," she explained quietly. "Six against one…?"

The bruised and battered redhead turned to and stared down the auburn-haired girl. "She's such a blabbermouth. So what? You gonna cry again and beg me to stop?" Karma angrily clenched his fists and waited for what he expected to be an emotional outburst from the other girl.

She shook her head and touched the cotton ball to Karma's bruised cheek and then his split lip. Whispering an apology as he hissed at the sharp pain, Fia pulled back for a few moments before dabbing the cotton ball against his bleeding knuckles instead, blowing on them to soothe the pain.

Karma grabbed Fia's wrist roughly and she immediately moved to grab his wrist in-turn with her own free hand. Taken aback, he flinched and she sighed.

"I'm not going to patronize you, or treat you like a little kid," Fia said as she placed her hand on top of his instead. "I'm sure you have a reason for getting into a fight…"

Her companion tightened his grip on her wrist. "What if I told you I didn't? Or that I did it for the hell of it?"

Fia laughed dryly. "First, I would tell you that I don't believe you. Then, I'd tell you that it wouldn't really matter to me anyway. I told you that I'm here to support you, right? I…" she hesitated, "care about you immensely. I appreciate and trust you, and, so, while I would prefer that you come home in one piece… If I have to be here to patch you up, I'll do it every time." Nodding with her own resolution, Fia smiled affectionately up at Karma.

Surprised, Karma released Fia and both of their hands fell slack on their touching knees. Orange eyes searched olive eyes for any excuse to push the other girl away, but they didn't find any. Sighing, Karma hung his head and placed his forehead on Fia's shoulder, allowing her to finish treating his hands.

"You don't have to do this," he muttered. "I don't need you to - I didn't ask you to."

Fia smiled and rested her head against Karma's. "Then let me do this because I want to."

Trying to break the silence again, he asked "Where is everybody…?"

Fia sighed softly. "Angel went out without saying much, and Nagisa is preparing for midterms in the library…"

"That's right," Karma smiled bitterly, "midterms." He sat up and leaned back on the couch as he stretched his arms and locked them behind his head. "Leave the kit here and get back to studying," he said, closing his eyes for some well-needed rest.

Hesitantly, Fia placed the first aid kit on the floor beside Karma's feet and stood. She moved to get a blanket and carefully draped it on her hotheaded housemate. Fia stayed at Karma's side for a few moments more. His features really were handsome, she thought before, believing that he was asleep by then, dropping a whisper of a kiss on his forehead. " _Idiota_ ," she mumbled with a slight smile and rosy cheeks as she turned and disappeared down the hall.

Karma opened his eyes and gathered up the first aid kit. He disappeared into the bathroom with it and pulled off his shirt hastily, wincing as he saw the multicolored bruises swelling across his body. He swore at himself and punched the mirror so hard that it fragmented until his image was nothing more than a distorted kaleidoscope of his fierce orange eyes glaring at him from between the lines of his blood running through the cracked glass.

"Dammit!" he shouted as he took a seat on the bathtub ledge and held his head with a hand. Looking down at his body, he felt as if the bruises were more like an infectious, physical manifestation of his own pride, and it made him feel sick. It made him want to ball up his fists and get into another fight, throwing himself into that twisted cycle over and over and over again. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Karma spat as he hit his bloodied hand against the wall again, and again, and again.

Gently placing her open hand against the cold bathroom door, Fia sighed remorsefully and bit back her tears. She'd give anything for him to just let her in. "Karma…" she cried silently into her own fists.

* * *

Haven sat across the table, sipping her tea.

"So, how is your housemate?" Richard asked to break the silence.

"Which one?" Haven asked as she put down her drink.

"All of them?" Richard paused. "I know we've been meeting up every month, but I know almost nothing about your life," he explained.

"Well, there's Fia. I think she's my best friend," Haven began.

"You think?" Richard quirked an eyebrow.

"I didn't have friends before college. I don't exactly know…"

"Oh," Richard sweatdropped. "I probably didn't help that, did I?" Richard rubbed the back of his head. "Either way, a friendship is what you make of it," he said awkwardly.

"Back to the point, she reconnected with one of her older siblings recently, so she's doing great. Then there's Karma, the redhead," Haven explained. Richard flinched slightly.

"He's not that bad… usually. We don't exactly seem to see eye-to-eye. He acts so irresponsible. Today I saw him get into a fight with six other guys and I want to lecture him about it when I get back," Haven huffed.

"If he's anything like I think he is, it would be best to give him space right now," Richard advised.

"I just want to knock some sense into that guy though. He doesn't seem to care about how his actions affect Fia and Gisa at all," Haven sighed.

"I know it seems that way, but we're not all as logical as you are. Be patient with him, Sis," Richard tried to give her an encouraging smile.

"The 'Sis' sounds weird," Haven cringed slightly. "Don't call me that again."

"Don't you have one more housemate?" Richard asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes," Haven said hesitantly, "There's Gisa. I used to think we were good friends, but now I'm not so sure…"

"What changed?" Richard asked.

"Well, every time I see him, half of me wants to run away while the other half wants to do the exact opposite. And when I look in his eyes and he's looking back in mine... everything... feels... not quite normal. Because I feel stronger and weaker at the same time. I feel excited and at the same time, terrified…" Haven continued.

"Hold up there, you're starting to quote spider man," Richard sighed, "It sounds like you're in love." Haven stared at him blankly. "Seriously, you just quoted Peter Parker's love confession and you had no idea you were in love?"

"Well, how would you know?" Haven replied defensively.

"I have a girlfriend… I think I'm somewhat qualified to tell when other people are in love. Not to mention, the quote made it rather obvious," Richard pointed out.

"You have a girlfriend?!" Haven stared at her brother in shock.

Richard facepalmed, "I've had one for some time. Is it really that unbelievable? Either way, back to the subject at hand."

* * *

Nagisa came home to a quiet apartment. Taking off his shoes and coat as he shut the front door, the bluenette looked around. Even if it was getting towards the late evening, his housemates should have been awake.

Meeting Nagisa's gaze for a brief moment as she exited her room, Haven quickly turned her head and walked back into her own room, never interrupting her typing on her laptop.

Confused, Nagisa's gaze met Fia's. The Italian seemed shaken and mumbled something to the effect of "dinner's on the table" and "I'll bring some to Angel." She rose from her spot on the couch and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders as she sluggishly walked into the kitchen to get food for her and Haven.

Nagisa sighed and went to put his backpack down in the room. As he placed the backpack on his desk chair, he turned to greet Karma, only to find that his roommate was spread out on his bed with an angry expression, bloody hands, and his headphones on at full volume.

Knowing that his roommate was not in the mood to be bothered, Nagisa went to wash up before dinner in the bathroom and found himself faced with the carnage of Karma's previous temper tantrum. There was glass and broken tiles scattered across the floor, that was beginning to pool with water dripping from a broken sink and a pipe exposed by a hole in the wall.

Slowly, Nagisa closed the door to the bathroom and went to eat alone at the kitchen table. He stared at the sandwich spread on the table and sweat-dropped. Even the meal today was completely individualistic. Just what was up with his housemates today?

* * *

Haven, Fia, and Karma all stared at Nagisa from where their respective seats were situated around the kitchen table.

Glancing between Haven and Karma, Fia smiled wryly and volunteered her voice first. "You called us for something important, Nagisa?"

The bluenette nodded. "I wanted to tell you guys last night but… Karasuma wants us to come in today to headquarters and meet someone important."

Haven and Fia exchanged glances, both interested in the fact that Karma and Nagisa also hadn't met this mysterious person yet. They simultaneously nodded in agreement and moved to get their stuff ready to go.

Once the girls were gone, Nagisa sighed. "Mind telling me what happened to the bathroom?"

Karma sweat-dropped and looked up at the ceiling. "I called a guy and talked to the res. life coordinator, so it'll be fixed within a couple of days, alright?" he grumbled.

"I mean, I don't really mind, but are you alright, Karma?" Nagisa asked with concern.

The redhead shot his roommate a "it's better if we don't talk about it" look. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he got to his feet and went to lean against the front door. Nagisa shook his head with a silent sigh and joined Karma just as Fia and Haven exited their room in their coats.

It didn't take too long for the housemates to get to their headquarters using the public transportation. They were impressed; no one would ever know that there were officials from all branches of the government intermixing with assassins and other hire-ons just from the building's outward appearance. It appeared to be a stereotypical corporate office. Entering in pairs, guys and girls, the four made their way inside through the revolving doors and found Karasuma waiting in the lobby.

Nodding with his typical stern face, Karasuma greeted his wards and motioned for them to follow him through the crowd. He guided them into an elevator and punched in both the code for an underground floor and his security code. As the elevator doors closed, he shot a questioning look between the awkward girls, sighing Nagisa, and bruised Karma.

Fia stifled a giggle and quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment.

"What is it?" Karasuma asked, somewhat relieved for the break in tense silence.

Shaking her head, Fia admitted, "I was just surprised that a government building would still have elevator music…" She let the others listen and look towards her in realization. Giggling, Fia started quietly singing the lyrics to Natasha Bedingfield's 'Unwritten' in tune with the music.

The elevator dinged and its heavy metal doors retracted slowly to reveal an orange-haired woman with pink eyes, two braids falling in front of her ears, and a stern face greeting them.

"Noriko," Karasuma extended his hand to the woman as he stepped away from the elevator to let his companions off.

"Karasuma," she replied icily, shaking his hand.

"Kids, this is Noriko Tachibana. She is my contact here with the C.I.A. Noriko, these boys are Nagisa Shiota and Karma Akabane. As you've heard, the girls assisting them are Fia Timo and Haven Lee."

"Of course I know who they are. All I want to know is: why it's taken you so long to introduce me to them?" Noriko asked with an accusatory glare directed at her male counterpart. She then turned to the group and formally introduced herself to each one, beginning with Nagisa and ending with Haven.

"And this," Noriko motioned to a man standing off to the side, "is my partner, Kavi."

Fia's blank face acted as a proxy for more than one of her housemates. "Eh?" She immediately looked between the man and Haven. "Ehhh?"

"Not our Kavi, obviously," Haven replied as the tan man with long green hair pulled into a low ponytail approached them. His violet eyes shone with amusement.

Staring up at their new associate, Fia sweat-dropped. "Oh…" she mumbled with pinkening cheeks as she realized her mistake. Still, the men seemed to share a particular type of lopsided smile that came from loving a good laugh.

"Did I get it this time?" Noriko asked the man.

"Not even close," he laughed and headed over to the four college kids. "Nice to meet you. My name is classified, so call me what you like. Just let me know first."

Fia's confused face turned into that of a protesting pout. "Whatever we want? But a name is so important…" she mumbled dejectedly.

"Alright, Classified it is," Haven shook his hand.

Sweat-dropping, Fia pouted slightly. "Are we really calling him that?" The Italian turned back to Classified and shook his hand shyly. "N-Nice to meet you…"

He shook her hand with a grin and moved to shake the hands of both guys before turning back to Noriko. He put a hand on his hip. "We have to talk to them about that big project, right?"

"Right. Now, to go over the final plans. Karasuma, Nagisa, Karma, if you would," Noriko led the males of the group away. A few minutes later, a man in a white lab coat ran down the hall to where the two girls stood.

"There you are!" he grabbed the two by their arms and pulled them down the hall with him. "I found the test subjects!" he called to his co-worker.

"Right, now let's do the procedure before the boss notices we lost two of them."

Fia looked with alarm at the guy who was dragging her by the arm. "H-Hey, wait! W-We aren't y-your test s-subjects! _Dio_ , n-no!"

Haven stared at her friend with an indifferent expression as the heavy doors to the lab swung shut and locked behind them.

* * *

"Those weren't the test subjects, morons!" Noriko yelled at them.

"Sorry, boss, we didn't know!" the scientists cowered under their boss's intense anger.

Karasuma sighed and kept his distance from the group as he waited patiently for things to get sorted out. He felt the best thing he could do was supervise; unlike, Classified, who was laughing loudly at the entire situation.

"I would have thought it was obvious! They are not dressed in medical prep clothing and one looks like an albino! Who starts testing on people with obviously outlier characteristics?!"

"Noriko, calm down," her partner said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, more to support himself than actually cool the lady's anger.

"Stupid understaffing. I didn't join CIA to head scientific research! Do you know how much paperwork I'll have to fill out because of this?" the orange head ranted.

A small girl with sunkissed skin, pinkish hair, and round peridot eyes flinched back from the yelling woman and her trembling underlings. "Combattere è male! (Fighting is bad!)" she pouted. "Combattere è male! (Fighting is bad!)"

She was followed by a smaller child with pure white hair, pale skin, and round black eyes. "我想要回家(I want to go home),"she yawned and went over to Noriko. "我在那里? (Where am I?)" Not receiving an answer, she went to everyone around the room, asking the same thing. After receiving many blank stares she gave up. "我觉得你们不懂中文所以我会只说中文(I think you guys don't understand Chinese, so I will only speak Chinese)," the child smirked.

Confused, the Italian girl ran and threw her arms around Nagisa. "Dove è la mia famiglia? (Where is my family?)" she asked quietly in hopes that the sweet-looking person would help her.

Nagisa sweat-dropped as he gently placed a hand on the girl's head in a reassuring gesture. "Are you asking where your family is?" he asked.

Not understanding the bluenette's English, she let teary eyes scan the room again. Her gaze landed on a particular redhead and, judging his hair color as the closest thing to her own, Fia ran to Karma and grabbed onto his leg instead. "Parla italiano? (Do you speak Italian?)" She pouted. "Sei la mia famiglia? M-Mio cugino? (Are you my family? M-My cousin?)"

Kneeling down, Karma wiped the tears from the tiny girl's eyes. "No, Fia…" He wracked his brain for any sort of explanation. "Uh, consigliere?"

"Il figlio del consigliere… (The son of the consigliere…)" Fia tilted her head and squished her cheeks into his big, warm palms. "Va bene~! (Alright~!)" she giggled cheerfully. "Come si chiama? (What's your name?)"

Karma stared at the child. "I don't know what you're asking."

Fia pointed to herself. "Sono Fia o Fiammetta. (I'm Fia, or Fiammetta.)" She touched Karma's cheek. "Come si chiama? (What's your name?)"

Taking her hand, Karma smiled. "I think I get it now. Karma."

"Karma?" the girl giggled and moved to kiss Karma on both cheeks. "Piacere di conoscerla, Karma! (Nice to meet you, Karma!)"

Haven ran over to Nagisa. "你是男子, (You are a boy,)" she stared at him intensely, "还是女子 (or a girl?)" Nagisa looked at her blankly and the girl began tapping her foot impatiently.

Noriko walked over to the two girls. "What's done is done," she sighed as she watched the two of them. "I would like to keep them at the lab to monitor their progress. Are there any objections?"

Karma felt that Fia must have read Noriko's tone of voice and body language because she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. She clung close to his body and yet her grasp was gentle. The redhead shot a look at Nagisa that told his roommate he wasn't willing to leave the girls, or at least Fia, here in the lab.

Nagisa sweat-dropped and stepped in front of Haven. "Well, Ms. Noriko - "

"It's Ms. Tachibana to you," Noriko snapped, still irritated by the day's events.

Tentatively, Nagisa continued, "Ms. Tachibana. I would like to request that the girls stay at the apartment with Karma and I. One of us has a background in research and I'm known for avid, meticulous note-taking. I believe that I can complete all of the data observations necessary, especially when your researchers might have difficulties understanding them. About their communication, we're the most familiar with their heritages and the difficulties they've dealt with as children." Nagisa hoped no one could see his sweatdrop.

Seeing Noriko's skeptical face, Karasuma approached his students and stood firmly with them. "I can back that up." He was surprised that Nagisa could bluff with such a straight face, but considering his history, Karasuma supposed he shouldn't have not expected this.

Noriko sighed. "I am so done today. Take the girls and go." The lady turned to her partner, "Stop laughing. This isn't funny!" and then to the two researchers, "And you two… I don't even know what to do with you two."

* * *

Haven stuck her tongue out at the redhead and ran out of the apartment.

"Buon viaggio! (Bon voyage!)" Fia called after the white-haired girl.

Nagisa ran after Haven and stopped just short of the doorframe. "Did you have say something like that to her, Karma?!" he demanded as he began his pursuit of the small child again.

Sighing exasperatedly, Karma leaned his head back on the couch. "Well, at least we know she understands English now."

Fia closed the door with the logic that the door would keep stranieri e persone cattive (strangers and bad people) out. Tying a particularly curly lock of her hair into a half-up side ponytail, she bounded up to Karma and crawled onto the couch.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked as she tugged on his shirt to pull herself up.

Squirming in between Karma's arm and his side, Fia nestled into her warm divot and sleepily yawned. Karma winced slightly at the pressure being applied to some of his bruises and sighed. He propped himself up on his arm and Fia tilted her head back to smile up at her companion.

"Che? (What?)" she giggled.

Karma shook his head and began to smile a little. "It's nothing, carina," he replied, hoping he'd used that word correctly.

Verdant eyes widened along with a glittering smile. "Mi piaci! (I like you!)" Fia exclaimed as she wriggled around to throw her arms around Karma again.

He sweat-dropped with a smile. "You really were an affectionate kid, weren't you?"

The child pulled back a little to stare at Karma. Rubbing her nose against his, she laughed. "Non capisco! (I don't understand!)" Fia smiled until her stomach began growling loudly. Blushing, the girl rubbed her stomach. "Affamato…" she pouted.

Karma laughed as he set the girl on her feet. "Now that's something I can understand."

* * *

Haven ran next door and knocked on the door.

"Umm… Hello?" Rebecca called into the hallway. She was about to close the door again when she felt something pull on her pant leg. Looking down, she saw a white-haired toddler wearing a pink plaid button-up dress. "Oh, hello," Rebecca leaned down to be eye-level with the girl. "Where did you come from?" The little girl was about to say something when she got scooped up into arms. Rebecca looked up to see her blue-haired neighbor.

"I'm sorry if she caused you any trouble," the guy bowed slightly. "She's Haven's cousin. But she fell asleep, so we're taking care of this one right now."

"She's cute. What's her name?" Rebecca smiled at the girl.

"Ruby Amber Joy Sapphire Pearl Lee," the young girl prattled off a list of names.

"Wow, that's a long name,"Rebecca commented. The young girl just nodded. "Maybe I'll see you some other time. Okay, Ruby?"

"Okay. Bye-bye," Haven waved as Rebeca closed the door. Nagisa began walking back to the apartment with the girl looking over his shoulder.

* * *

Karma led Fia into the kitchen and opened the fridge

Poking her head between his legs, Fia scanned the fridge for herself. Eyes glittering, she pointed at a carton of fruit. "Fragole! Fragole~! (Strawberries! Strawberries~!)"

Sitting down at the table with the carton and a knife in hand, Karma watched Fia sing happily as she waited for her favorite fruit.

"Fra' Martino? Is that supposed to be Frere Jacques?" Karma asked Fia as he placed the sliced castle of white, pink, and green in front of her.

She shrugged. "Din don dan~!" she chimed right before popping a strawberry into her mouth. "Delizioso e dolce! (Delicious and sweet!)" she sang. "Omnomnom!"

Karma chuckled and tossed the girl a napkin to wipe at the pink dripping down her chin and hands. She unfolded the napkin and put her entire face in it. Attempting to wipe off the sticky substance resulted in Fia getting napkin strips stuck her hands. She flailed her hands in an attempt to get them off and only ended up looking like a flightless swan. Shaking his head, Karma freed Fia from her sticky death trap and laughed.

"You're a real mess, you know that?"

The pink girl giggled as she continued to pick apart the strawberry mountain. Eventually, she noticed Karma watching her and she held out one to him. "Aperto! (Open!)." She paused. "Aahhhh~!"

He raised his hand to grab the strawberry from Fia but she quickly pulled it away and held it closer to his mouth.

"Aahhhh~!" she called again, more insistently.

"Un-frigging-believable." Swearing under his breath as his cheeks darkened, Karma looked over his shoulder to make sure his other housemates were nowhere to be found. Quickly, he ate the strawberry and embarrassedly look away, just in time for Nagisa to re-enter with Haven.

"Benvenuti! (Welcome!)" Fia called from the kitchen. She grinned, her mouth a pink, painted mess.

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "What happened to Fia?"

"Fragole," Karma smirked as he ruffled the sticky girl's hair.

"Fragole~!" she cheered.

Not sure how to respond, Nagisa turned back to Haven. "I know you can understand me, so would you please speak English? I would really appreciate it," he explained, smiling sweetly.

Haven looked at him for a moment, tilted her head and put a finger to her chin as if pondering the question. "Yes, but only to you," Haven agreed.

Karma turned back to Nagisa. "I hate to ask, but how the hell are we supposed to get this girl cleaned? I don't think this is just going to wash out in the sink," he said as he held a lock of Fia's matted hair in his hand.

"Non si preoccupi. Sarà magicamente andare via! (Don't worry. It'll magically go away!)" Fia proclaimed. "Mio fratello è magia! (My brother is magic!)" she grinned.

Haven tugged on Nagisa's sleeve. "I help Earnest all the time," she whispered. "So I could easily help out now as well."

* * *

Nagisa knocked tentatively on the door to the bathroom. "Is everything alright?"

"Bolle, bolle, bolle~! (Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles~!)" the Italian sang endearingly.

Suddenly, the bluenette had to jump clear of the bathroom door as it swung open and a sudsy, only-bubble-clad toddler burst from the room and ran around, giggling. Sweat-dropping, Nagisa shut the door to give Haven a few more moments before taking after the runaway with a towel.

"Fia!" he called. "Fia!" Nagisa swept the girl up in a towel and sighed as he wrapped the wriggling girl in it. "Just what were you thinking?"

She giggled with rosy cheeks as Nagisa set her back down on the floor. "Il drenaggio stava andando a mangiare me! (The drain was going to eat me!)" Seeing that the bluenette didn't understand her, she made a swirling-flush-like gesture with her finger and gulped loudly.

"Quite a monster you fought there," Karma rolled his eyes as he placed a shopping bag in front of her. "Here are the clothes you picked out earlier."

Smiling, Fia dug through the bag and pulled out a ruffled, tiered pear-green nightgown with puffy short sleeves and pink ribbon accents. With her eyes sparkling, Fia began to pull the dress on over her head and let her towel drop.

Nagisa covered his eyes with a wry and embarrassed smile. "She's a lot less… shy," he noted.

"Pronto~! (Ready~!)" Fia cheered as she finished pulling on her white baby bloomers. Laughing, she shook her bouncy hair like a wet dog might and thoroughly splashed her male caregivers.

"Could someone give me my clothes?" Shaking, Haven's little hand stuck out from the bathroom door. Nagisa placed a plain white nightgown in the little hand and watched it disappear. A few moments later, Haven walked out in the night gown with a towel around her hair and took a seat on the couch.

Seeing that she was having difficulties, Karma kneeled down and tied the central pink ribbon on Fia's nightgown for her. He disappeared down the hall and quickly came back with a familiar green brush. Handing it to the child, he said "Here."

Fia looked between her brush and Karma. Her face seemed to be asking, "You aren't going to do this for me?"

Sighing, the redhead took it upon himself to dry the bouncy Italian's hair with a towel and brush it all himself. He scowled with a hair tie hanging from his mouth. "Has your hair always been this thick? How the hell have you been taking care of it all this time?"

Nagisa laughed lightly. "I've never heard her complain once about it," he replied, taking a seat next to Haven on the couch. He smiled down at the girl. She stared back up at him with big eyes.

"Can you help me with my hair, Mister?" she asked softly and turned her back towards him.

"Of course I can," Nagisa went to his room and grabbed his brush. A few moments later, he sat down on the couch and unwrapped the towel around Haven's head. The white locks tumbled down to her lower back. "Your hair is very pretty," Nagisa commented as he began untangling it.

"No it's not," Haven sulked. "It's weird. Everyone in my family has black hair and I never see kids my age with white hair either, only old people."

"Well, I think white hair is the most beautiful hair color because the girl I like most has white hair," Nagisa continued to brush the girl's hair gently.

"Is she old?" Haven asked skeptically.

"She's a bit younger than I am," he smiled gently.

"Really?" Haven turned around quickly, "What is she like?" Haven sat facing him, eager to hear about someone else like herself.

"Well, she's-" Nagisa began.

"A bit-" Karma interjected.

"Karma, language," Nagisa shot him a severe look.

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine." Karma turned back to the girl sitting in his lap. She giggled when she got his attention and threw her arms around his neck as she affectionately nuzzled him.

"Hey!" he laughed. "That fricking tickles! Cut that out!"

"Anyways," Nagisa turned back to Haven, "She's usually very practical and is almost always thinking about something. Even though she can be petty, she's very loyal. She seems to be better with computers than people, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have friends. She has more of them than I think she realizes and sometimes I'm jealous of them."

"Wow! She sounds super cool! Do I get to meet her?" Haven asked, eyes sparkling.

"One day you will," Nagisa replied, blushing. "Now turn around so I can finish brushing your hair.

"Okay," Haven did as she was told and sat quietly while Nagisa finished untangling her white locks. "I don't have many friends, only Earnest," Haven admitted, "I hope I can make new ones when I go to school next year." Haven grabbed two hair ties from a nearby table and put her hair up in two pigtails out of habit.

"I'm sure you will," Nagisa replied reassuringly.

"Hey," Karma called as he shifted Fia from one of his arms to the other. "I'm going to take her back to our room now."

The green-eyed girl shifted her gaze from Karma to her other companions and smiled. "Buona notte~! (Goodnight~!)" she called. "Tempo per le storie~. (Time for stories~.)"

"The hell? I never said I was going to read you a story!" Karma sighed and casually kicked the door to his room shut behind him.

* * *

Nagisa woke up to find that the young girl he had been watching was gone. He scrambled out of bed and began searching the room.

"Haven," he called. "Haven, where are you?" Nagisa searched the room. A clap of thunder sounded from outside and Nagisa became aware of the rain pelting the windows. A few moments later, he heard a whimper coming from the closet. Nagisa slowly opened the door to reveal a girl in a white night gown slightly too small for her, her head on her knees.

"Haven, here you are!" Nagisa sighed in relief. "Don't run away again."

"You're angry with me," Haven's muffled, snuffly voice mumbled. "The sky is angry at me as well," Haven whimpered. "Why is everyone so angry with me?"

"Why do you think everyone's angry with you?" Nagisa asked, taken aback.

"None of the other kids at school with talk to me and the teachers are always sighing when they see me and sometimes my mother acts like she doesn't know me and my aunt makes me go away and the only one who tolerates me is Earnest," the girl sniffled. Suddenly, she was pulled into a hug. Haven flinched in surprise before relaxing.

"I'm so scared of being alone," Haven buried her head in his shoulder.

"It's okay. I'm here for you," Nagisa comforted her.

* * *

Karma woke up with a start. Struggling to breathe, he clutched at whatever it was strewn across his face. He pushed the heavy form aside and groggily glanced over to find Fia sleeping heavily. Sighing, he gathered the blanket around him and turned his back begrudgingly to the child. Karma let his eyelids fall shut and took a deep breath, only to be rattled awake again by a strangled cry.

"Stop…" the child pleaded in her restless sleep. She thrashed with each resounding clap of thunder.

Karma turned back to Fia and wiped the cold sweat running down her face from her forehead. "Hey, Fia…"

The Italian girl thrashed in her sleep again. "P-Por favore, mio fratello…! (P-Please, my brother!)" she cried as she sat up with a start. "Non voglio farti del male! (I don't want to hurt you!)" Green eyes roamed the room in a panic and settled on the dark figure across from them. "Who?!" Terrified and trembling, Fia tried to back away from the man she didn't recognize in the dark. "Kyah!"

"Hey!" Karma lunged forward to catch the falling girl and cursed as his back hit the floor. "Are you alright?" Wincing, he opened an eye and loosened his grip on the girl. His eyes widened. "You've gotten bigger. Or… Older?"

Fia sat up from where she had landed on Karma's abdomen. "Y-You're not going t-to-a hurt me, r-right?" she asked timidly, her voice trembling.

The redhead slowly pushed himself into an upright position and held his hand out the girl. "No," Karma assured her with a small smile. "I told you, I'm the son of the consigliere. You're safe now, alright?"

Hesitantly, the girl placed her hand in his and let him pull her into a hug. She buried a teary face in his neck. "How do you know…?"

"It was just a nightmare," he murmured. "And you did what you had to when you pulled that trigger."

"Che? (What?)" Fia's heavily-accented voice wavered again. "H-How did you know? It was a segreto - U-um, I mean, it was a secret!"

"I know you," Karma replied simply as he stroked her back. "Your accent used to be this heavy? It's kind of…"

Green eyes found orange in the dim light from the window. "Il mio accento? (My accent?) What about it?" Fia tilted her head curiously. "Oh!" She covered her mouth quickly. "I'm not supposed to speak Italian…" she smiled embarrassedly.

"It's cute…" he muttered. He placed the girl down and looked her over. "You definitely got older. You wouldn't know English otherwise… Isn't that tight?" he asked, referring to the nightgown straining to hold the bigger body.

Nodding slowly, her wavy shoulder-length hair bobbing as she did so, Fia curled up and leaned against the bed.

Karma rose to his feet and found his way to his closet. He pulled out a large t-shirt and threw it to the girl. "There. Put that on." Rubbing the back of his head, the redhead turned to face the wall to let her change. After he heard the shuffling stop, Karma turned around and smiled at the girl.

Fia was flailing her arms with a blushing, pouty face as the oversized sleeves flapped around her.

Laughing, Karma scooped her up and put her on his bed. He plopped down beside her and patted her head. "You going to be able to sleep okay now?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders slowly, forcing Karma to re-situate the collar of the shirt back on her shoulders. She looked up at him as she pulled the blanket back over her legs. "You're going to, um, what's la parola inglese? (what's the English word?) Protect me?"

He pulled open a drawer. "I will."

Fia flinched back as soon as she saw the gun in his nightstand. "W-Why do you have that?"

Karma didn't answer her, but pulled out a flashlight.

The Italian scooted closer to Karma and peered under his arm. "Che cos'è questo? (What is this?)" She pointed to a dagger charm attached to the gun.

"Something someone special gave me," he replied as he shut the drawer, hiding its contents from Fia's sight. Karma changed the batteries in the flashlight and handed the metal object to the girl beside him. "There. Would that make you feel better?"

Smiling, Fia turned on the flashlight with a click. "Ahh!" She flinched and covered her eyes. "Bright!" she whined.

Karma gingerly wiped the tears forming in the child's eyes. He aimed the flashlight for the ceiling and laid back down on his bed.

Fia pulled the covers up to her chin and snuggled up next to him. "What are you doing?" she asked quietly.

The redhead sighed, forcing the cheesy words out of his mouth for the girl's sake. "Chasing away the darkness," he groaned.

"Oh!" the child smiled. She giggled and placed her tiny hand in front of the beam of light. Curling her hand into a fist, she propped up her index and middle fingers to form the shadow of a rabbit on the ceiling. She used her second hand to form its plump body and tail.

Karma smiled slightly and stuck out a finger. Fia's shadow rabbit hopped over and nibbled on his finger's shadow like a rabbit might a carrot. The redhead shifted his fingers and created a wolf with his free hand. Giggling, Fia had her rabbit hop over to the wolf and bow its head in greeting. Karma snickered as the rabbit's ears flopped energetically with each hop.

"Your rabbit isn't scared of the wolf?" he asked, eyeing the small child.

"No," she replied simply. "Should she be? Not everything with fangs and claws will hurt you." Smiling, Fia poked one of Karma's canine teeth with a finger for emphasis.

"Hey!" he scowled at her.

Fia smiled sadly. "And not everything that looks happy is happy… So, no, my rabbit isn't scared of the wolf. I'm not scared either, because you're here for me…"

Karma's wolf nuzzled the rabbit with its muzzle before Karma's hand took the smaller child's within its grasp. The flashlight fell sideways as the redhead sleepily lost grip on the device. It illuminated the shadow of clasped hands for a brief moment before flickering once, twice, and going out, the light fading from the bulb as darkness and heavy sleep overtook the pair.

* * *

Haven: (Sarcastically) Ah, isn't that cute.

Karma: Can I strangle her, NOW?

Nagisa: No!

Karma: (Red faced and fangs bared) She's such a little bit-

Fia: Combattere è male! (pouting profusely) No fighting!

Left Brain: …Where were we going with this commentary?

Right Brain: Wasn't it about how snarky Haven is? (\ ("o 3 o) /)

Left Brain: That's right!

Karma: (Sarcastically) Great. Just what we need.

Haven: (Sarcastically) We need it more than we need you right now!

Karma: Why you -

Fia: Combattere è male! (Clinging to Karma's leg as if that will stop him)

Karma: What the hell? (Tries shaking her off) How the hell did you get so damn heavy?!

Fia: (Blushing) Gelato…

Karma: That explains that.

Haven: Wow! She's been stuck to you all chapter. Can't get more lovey-dovey than that.

Karma: …

Fia: But of course! I love Karma~! (Giggling happily)

Nagisa: Do you understand what you're implying, Haven? Fia?

Haven: Of course. (Shrugs and shakes head)

Fia: (Her usual blank face) … Um, love means I get to marry him and be with him forever, right? Hehe~! We should all get married!

Nagisa: She's really different as a little kid.

Karma: Which one?

Narrator: Well, to be continued on the next chapter!


	28. Chapter 28: Playdate Time 2nd Period

Nagisa woke up to find an nine-year-old Haven curled up on the floor next to him. The nightgown she had been wearing last night was bursting at the seams.

"Haven, it's morning," Nagisa shook the girl gently. Haven sat up and rubbed her head.

"My clothes are too small," she mumbled as she ran her hand through her hair, "and my hair's too long."

"I think your hair is a perfect length," Nagisa called as Haven got up and began searching the room. Finally, she found a bag that contained clothes for her size.

"It's too long for my liking," Haven said as she rummaged through the bag. "I'm not used to my hair going down my back. I'm going to change now," she pulled out a few articles of clothing and gave Nagisa a look that clearly read for him to get out.

* * *

The bluenette's attention was caught by a giggle. Wearing a pleated white skirt, sheer white knee-high stockings, and button-up green blouse tied off with a pink ribbon on the left side of her collar, a girl with pinkish, braided pigtails ran out of Karma's room.

"Good morning~!" Fia called, her diminishing accent rolling off her tongue.

Karma followed Fia as he tried to smooth down his wild bed head. "Mornin'."

"Good morning," Nagisa smiled slightly. "So, Fia has aged too, huh?"

His roommate nodded and made his way into the kitchen. "Seems like it. I peg her to be maybe 8 or 9. They got bigger a lot faster than I expected."

Haven walked out of the bedroom. She was wearing a collared white shirt, khaki pants and a black tie. Her white hair was cut into messy bob that ended around her chin. She stopped next to Nagisa and yawned.

Fia tilted her head slightly. "Haven? Is that you?" A large smile broke her originally-shy gaze.

Haven looked at the Italian blankly. "Do I know you?" she asked. A second later, recognition spread across her face. She pointed to Fia and exclaimed, "Camp leader's little sister!"

Blushing, she giggled in response. "That's me! I guess I didn't tell you my name, did I?" Green eyes widened. "Wait, where's Mr. Punny-Business? Earnest, I mean." Her facial expression became teary and horrified. "He didn't get eaten by a bear, d-did he?!"

Haven deadpanned, "I wish. He's doing fine."

Fia sighed in relief. "That's good…"

Karma sweat-dropped. "So that kid's always been a handful," he noted. "Hey, Fia. What do you want to eat?"

"That's funny coming from you, Karma." Nagisa smiled wryly. "I didn't realize you two knew each other. How did you meet?" he asked politely.

Giggling, Fia skipped into the kitchen and, clinging to Karma's leg, cheered "gelato!"

He tapped her forehead with a spoon. "Really?"

Pouting, the girl blushed and dropped her gaze. "You mean I can't?"

Haven turned to Nagisa with a sigh. "Summer camp," she explained simply.

"You can, but you can't pin a stomachache on me, alright?" Karma said as he opened the freezer. "You want fragole, right?"

"Si~!" Fia chimed. Endearingly holding her hands behind her back, she stole a glance at Haven. "Haven, you're a… Girl?" She smiled embarrassedly. "Since you shared a cabin with Earnest, I thought you were a guy…"

"It was my condition for going to go to camp. I don't really want to talk about it though," Haven muttered.

The other girl nodded in understanding and happily accepted a cup of pink gelato from Karma. "Grazie!"

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "Really, Karma?"

The redhead stuck his tongue out. "What? I gave her fruit too."

"Karma…" the pigtailed housemate sighed.

Karma plopped down next to Nagisa on the couch with a bowl of cereal. "She had a nightmare last night," he muttered. "She still seemed a little out of it this morning so -" he shrugged and looked anywhere but Nagisa.

"Her too, huh…" Nagisa mumbled in response. Blue eyes observed the white-haired and auburn-haired girls and a smile graced the bluenette's face. "They seem a lot happier."

Karma's gaze found its way to Fia. "She started to get a little shy, I guess, but she's still surprisingly cheerful."

"I'm surprised by how quickly Haven became shut off," Nagisa admitted. "She seemed a lot more sociable yesterday."

"Karma!" Fia bounded up to Karma with an empty bowl and big smile. "I finished! Can I take your bowl?" she smiled. "I'll do the dishes."

The redhead ruffled her hair. "You're just going to play with the bubbles, aren't you?" he teased.

Fia blushed. "N-Not true!" she pouted with pinkening cheeks. A giggle escaped her lips. "Hehe, maybe~."

He pinched her cheeks and handed her his bowl. "Try not to have too much fun."

"Kay~!" The girl giggled as she ran to the kitchen.

"I'll help," Haven said, rising to her feet. She followed Fia and the two took spots next to each other in front of the sink with short stools.

Karma and Nagisa exchanged small smiles.

* * *

The redhead sighed. "I know I said you could sit on my lap, but try not to squirm so much, will'ya?"

Fia laughed and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry." She undid the braid her hair was in and braided her hair back into low pigtails. "There we go! I'm ready to perform~!" she cheered.

"Perform?" Karma quirked an eyebrow.

"This is usually how I have to do my hair before going on stage. Today, I'm going to perform my best in front of the world again!"

"You're going to sing?" he asked.

Fia shook her head quickly. "No~. I'm going to live!" She swung her feet happily as she started fiddling with her hair again. "Usually Fee'cia and I do this for each other but she's not here. Ever since we moved though, sorella -" The Italian spun around quickly to face Karma. "Wait a minute!"

Startled, Karma dropped his phone and looked to the girl in surprise. "What is it?"

Accusingly, Fia poked her finger against Karma's chest. "You said you were the son of the consigliere! If that was true, you wouldn't be here with me right now! Where's my family?"

"You're hella fierce when it comes to your family," Karma put his hands up and sweat-dropped.

Fia pouted slightly. "I want to know where my little brothers and sister are right now! If you don't, I'll-I'll have you whacked and sleeping with the fishes!"

Sighing in response, Karma patted the girl's head. "Well…" Pulling up photo evidence on his phone, he took some time to explain the situation slowly to Fia and emphasize that seeing her family members would only cause them to worry.

Gently fingering a picture of the twins, whipped cream and feathers readily in hand, and smiling devilishly at the camera, the Italian looked up curiously. "They're bigger than me now!" she exclaimed in surprise. "And still a pair of demons! But… How come you don't have pictures of Fee'cia or Felix?" Fia asked tentatively.

Karma rubbed the back of his head. "I've never met your brother," he said slowly, "and your sister isn't exactly fond of me."

"But why?" Fia asked as she draped her arms around Karma's neck. "You've been taking care of me since…" The small child's face twisted as she wracked her brain. "A long time ago… You rescued me from a scary yelling woman and… and you protected me from… from something…"

He smiled ever so slightly. "Do you remember anything else?"

"Strawberry bubbles?"

Karma dead-panned. "Yeah, we're not repeating that."

Giggling, Fia smiled cheerfully. "I clean up after myself now! Well, sometimes. Felix still helps me out most of the time" she blushed happily. "So, I really am a big girl now?"

"Yeah, you go to college and you live here with me, Nagisa, and that brat - I mean, Haven," he responded. "You study biochemistry and like artsy stuff, I guess."

"Do I still play futbol?" Fia inquired. "I really like it!"

"I thought you hated football," Karma replied. "Wait, you mean soccer?"

She nodded vigorously. "Si, soccer!"

"Well, I don't know about that, but we'll play sometime, okay?"

"Sure~!" Fia grinned. "I won't go easy on you just because you're my friend!" she promised with a playful snap of her finger. "Mio papino says if you don't look like the ball by the end of the game, you're not playing it right!"

Karma sweat-dropped. "Giovanni said that?"

The girl laughed a little. "I do love futbol, but I'm just kidding. I don't like the idea of hurting anybody if I don't have to."

"That sounds just like you," he observed aloud.

Tilting her head, Fia smiled. "Does it? I think -" Lime green eyes widened and a small hand moved instinctively to touch Karma's bruised cheek. "What happened?" she mouthed. Pouting, she demanded "Who do I have to beat up?!"

Karma smiled wryly and guided her hand away from his face. "Nobody. Don't worry about it."

"But…" she protested quietly. "We Timos protect our own!"

"That's enough to know," Karma pinched the girl's cheek. "Why don't we grab some lunch? I'm starving here."

"Starving?! Food is very, very, very, very important!" Fia grabbed his hand and began tugging him towards the kitchen. "I'll make you a recovery sandwich right away! C'mon! Before your stomach eats you!" She gave him a serious face with red cheeks. "It will, you know. My sister told me so!"

* * *

"Why am I here and not at home?" Haven asked Nagisa. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, reading Sonic Ninja as he typed away on his computer.

"I'm taking care of you for now while your mom's away," Nagisa sweatdropped.

"No you're not. When my mom's gone or unable to take care of me, I go to Aunt Joy's house," Haven rebuked and put the comic down.

"Your aunt's busy, so I'm filling in," Nagisa replied. Haven gave him a face that clearly read she wasn't buying it.

"Please don't play me for a fool," Haven sighed, "It happens enough at school."

"I'm not sure how to explain this to you… You're actually a college student," Nagisa began. Half an hour later, Haven seemed to understand what was going on and nodded her head.

"I can remember parts of that. But it's hazy, like it happened a long time ago," Haven explained.

"What seemed to have happened yesterday?" Nagisa inquired.

"I went to school and life was like it always is," Haven replied.

"When was the last time you remember seeing me?" Nagisa asked.

"I can't exactly remember… I think it was during a thunderstorm. I'd say that seems like it was about a year or two ago."

* * *

"I'm going to pick up clothes for today. Haven prefers guys' clothing, right?" Karma called. At his side and holding his hand was Fia, significantly bigger than she had been the day before. She was blushing and tugging down the hem of an oversized shirt.

"I swore this fit this morning," she mumbled embarrassedly. "And you're sure I can't fit into anything I wore yesterday?"

Karma sighed. "You aged about three years since then. I don't think you'll even be able to get those over your head."

"Who said anything about prefered?" Haven said bitterly under her breath.

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "Well, what would you like them to pick up?"

"Guy's clothes are better for keeping up the illusion anyways," Haven muttered.

"You don't have to do that anymore," Nagisa reminded her gently, "You can wear whatever you want."

"Then it doesn't matter," Haven shrugged, "I'll wear whatever."

Fia smiled shyly. "I'll do my best to pick out something you might like…"

"Then it might help you to know that I'm used to wearing a school uniform," Haven called as she headed for her room, wrapped in a towel.

The Italian held up a key attached to a chain around her neck. "Is this for the front door?" she asked curiously.

Karma smirked. "Nope. That's for your dangerous concoctions - that you lend to me whenever I ask for them."

"Karma!" Nagisa protested.

The redhead just laughed as he pulled the girl through the front door and let it fall shut behind them.

* * *

Pushing the door open with her back, Fia shuffled into the apartment carrying a couple of large shopping bags. "We're home! We got some clothing and the groceries," she said with a slight smile.

Karma walked in behind her with a bounty of plastic bags hanging over his shoulder. "Yo, Nagisa. Whataya want to eat?"

"Anything is fine," Nagisa smiled. "Are you cooking, Fia?"

The Italian nodded with a flustered smile. "I want to try making alfredo. I haven't tried before, so please bear with me." Bowing her head, she carried her the shopping bags to the girls' shared room. "Haven?" she called from just beyond the door frame.

Karma set the groceries down on the kitchen counter. "They're aging a lot faster than I expected."

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "Yeah, it's a good thing Karasuma got them a medical exemption for the time being." The bluenette paused to think for a moment. "You think they'll be back to normal by White Day?"

"Shit… I think they might be." Karma sighed and leaned against the counter. Propping his chin up with a hand, he smirked. "You doing anything for Haven?"

"Probably," Nagisa nodded slowly.

Fia walked into the kitchen with her chest-length hair tied back into a half ponytail. Her hair had become darker, more true to its auburn color since the age regression had first occurred. Adjusting the green cardigan to sit more fittingly over the tiered, ankle-length white skirt, she smiled shyly. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Her accent had almost completely disappeared by this point.

Nagisa shook his head with a smile. "Not at all, Fia."

Haven walked into the kitchen, blushing. "This isn't exactly what I had in mind, Fia." She was wearing a pink plaid tie with a white shirt trimmed with pink tucked into a pink plaid skirt and held up with matching suspenders. Her hair was self-cut into a bob that ended right above her shoulders and bangs.

The Italian covered her face with the tips of her fingers and blushed. "I'm s-sorry," she mumbled. "I-I really wasn't sure what to get you. I knew you liked white, black, and pink though," she said meekly.

"It's not a big deal," Haven sweatdropped, "I'm just used to dressing and acting like a boy at school, that's all."

"I think you two look cute," Nagisa said with a friendly smile. Haven turned the color of her skirt and turned away.

Green eyes widened and cheeks flushed red. The Italian opened her mouth to speak but nothing but a dry squeak escaped her throat. Turning away, Fia grabbed an onion and distracted herself by starting to prep the food. Haven ran to Fia's side to help.

Sweat-dropping Karma and Nagisa exchanged concerned glances.

"Um… Haven?" Nagisa called. "Why don't I introduce you to someone? He must really miss you."

"Okay," Haven followed Nagisa out of the kitchen. "I hope it isn't Earnest."

Quickly, Nagisa led Haven to her room to introduce her to Wally.

"She's finally gone," Karma sighed in relief.

Tilting her head, Fia shot him a curious glance. "What do you mean?"

The redhead smiled bitterly. "That girl could burn water."

"Oh…" Fia giggled softly before beginning a slow and full hum as she washed vegetables in the kitchen sink.

Karma stood at the cutting board beside her. "What are you singing?"

"Oh, um, something from The Marriage of Figaro. Just something I sang a lot as a kid," she smiled embarrassedly.

"That's right, you sang opera."

She nodded slowly. "F-For a short time, I did…"

Karma sighed as he took the vegetables from Fia and began mincing them expertly. "What's that look for?"

"Ah!" Fia quickly looked away, embarrassed that she had been caught staring. "Nothing it's just… I usually have a hard time talking with and being around people other than Felix, especially the kids at school. They're mean sometimes, so… This is really nice… Pass the thyme, please?"

"You mean the Timo?" Karma smirked.

She blushed profusely. "H-Hey! I don't have the T-Timo for this…" Realizing her own mistake, Fia flusteredly covered her face.

Karma laughed lightly and Fia smiled bashfully up at him before giggling quietly too.

* * *

"Hello," Haven waved to Wally's mod.

"Haven! Where have you been? I was starting to get worried," Wally replied cheerfully. Haven stared at him in confusion.

"Have we met before?" Haven asked.

"Yes. You are my programmer," Wally's smile faltered, "Am I that easy to forget?"

"I'm sorry. I lost my memories from after the time I was about twelve," Haven replied.

"Oh, I see. You programmed me when you were sixteen," Wally smiled. "I am like your personal assistant."

"I must be rather smart to build something like you," Haven mused.

"I like to think so," Wally grinned.

"I must have also had a lot of time on my hands…" she frowned slightly.

* * *

After dinner and washing up, Fia, clutching Bacio close to her chest, rolled on her bed to face Haven. "Haven?" she called tentatively. "Are you still awake?"

"Yes," the other girl rolled over to look at her roommate.

Fia buried her face in Bacio. "I can't sleep…" she admitted. "Can you? Oh, s-sorry if I'm keeping you awake…"

"I couldn't sleep anyways. Today was… interesting and I'm… I'm worried about what has happened to me," Haven sighed.

The other girl nodded slowly. "I… hadn't remembered how alone I felt at school. It's scary. Did things get better or worse for me?" She smiled slightly. "Better, I like to hope."

"At least we know nothing went too horribly," Haven grinned, "I mean we ended up here. I am a bit surprised at how taken aback I was to be called cute."

Fia giggled slightly. "What do you mean? Y-You are cute," she confessed embarrassedly.

"I'm used to being called handsome by my female classmates… not cute," Haven admitted.

"Because… People think you're a guy?" she asked carefully.

"Pretty much," Haven nodded. After a moment, she said, "I'm kind of sick of being cooped up in the apartment."

The Italian thought for a second before smiling. "Do you want to go for a walk? I mean, it looks clear tonight," she suggested hesitantly.

"Yeah. I know this area pretty well. We just have to make sure the guys don't find out," Haven hopped out of bed.

"I-Isn't that sneaking out? Isn't that… bad?" Fia asked in alarm. Despite that, she found herself pulling on a sweater and a pair of boot.

"We'll be fine," Haven grinned mischievously.

Haven and Fia made their way to the front door.

"Wait, what about the key?" Fia tugged on her counterpart's sleeve. "Should I grab it?"

"I found this in our room," Haven flashed her a key ring with several bronze keys. "I think it's mine. One's labeled House and one's labeled Dorm and then the others are unlabeled."

Fia sighed in relief. "I'm just glad we don't have to 'borrow' one. My brother and sister 'borrow' things all of the time," she rubbed her temples. "I've gotten good at reverse-pickpocketing…" She blushed and shook her head. "Let's just go. Any place you have in mind?" Fia smiled positively.

"Yep!" Haven smiled pulling Fia out the door and into the night.

* * *

"I'm glad public transport was still open," Haven said as she walked down the hall of an old building. "Thanks for picking the lock for me."

Fia bashfully replaced the bobby pin in her hair. "N-No problem, just don't tell anyone, okay?" She placed her hands together in a 'pretty-please' gesture with a smile.

"Of course!" Haven grinned. "I kind of want to teepee certain lockers, but their owners no longer go to this school, so it would be kind of pointless."

Fia nodded in understanding. "There are a few people I'd like to re-visit, but I don't think I could really tell them how I feel, and they would only hurt me if they saw me… That's a little pointless too. We could still explore though! W-Would you give me a tour?" she requested timidly.

"Sure!" Haven began before switching to a very pompous voice. "This is where Lady Haven went for mathematical instruction during the third grade."

Fia had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter. "The Lady Haven doth sound so elegant!" she giggled.

"Why thank you, Signorina Fia. Now, over there is where the Lady Haven usually ate lunch," Haven pointed to a small platform next to a majestic staircase behind a handrail.

The Italian bounded over to the staircase and took a few steps up. She plopped down on one of the steps. "Here, Lady Haven? On this very step, thine lunch was had? Devoured and conquered by your enamel army?"

"Signorina Fia is correct. That very step," Haven replied.

"Well, then I am honored!" Fia declared as she stood. "What be at the top of this mighty stairwell, Lady Haven?"

"At the top of the staircase is where the very mighty high schoolers preside," Haven grinned.

"Oh! The scaly dragons," Fia laughed.

"Yes. There is one dragon who likes to hunt Lady Haven as sport," Haven informed her, "He is known as the Brown Rich-horn."

"How terrifying! How did my Lady Haven defeat him so?" Fia fell to her knees dramatically with a hand draped delicately on her forehead as she tried not to laugh.

"We are still in a fierce battle," Haven put one foot on a higher step and looked up the staircase with a determined glare. "But my wits will prevail over his brawn."

Fia applauded her friend with exaggerated grandeur and excitement. "Are thou listening, Brown Rich-horn?! The Lady Haven will vanquish thee with her great powers and you will be gone, capisce?!"

Suddenly, a clatter came from upstairs.

Stepping in front of Haven with the color draining from her face, Fia harshly whispered. "What was that?" Haven shook her head and shrugged. "I think it be time for the Ladies of the court to escort themselves out…" Fia said, sweat-dropping.

"Lady Haven doth agree," Haven nodded and led the way out of the building.

* * *

Fia and Haven opened the door to the apartment together as quietly as they possibly could.

"The ladies hath almost made it back," Haven whispered as they began tiptoeing to their room.

"Caught you," Karma said flatly as he fixed his flashlight beam on the girls like a helicopter might on runaway criminals.

"The red manticore hath caught us!" Haven exclaimed.

"And the fangèd creature doth look angry…!" Fia squeaked meekly.

Karma sweat-dropped. "The hell did you just call me?"

"I did not knoweth the manticore hath speaking abilities," Haven noted.

"Q-Quite impressive…" Fia added, mentally signing her own death-wish.

Nagisa pushed himself past the angry redhead and sighed in relief as he saw the two girls. "Do you two know what time it is?"

"10:51 to be precise, oh, Oberon king of the fairies!" Haven replied.

The bluenette dead-panned. "Wait, what?"

"Your majesty," Fia began, "That's 22:51." She smiled slightly and curtsied, trying to make herself helpful to their newfound kind. "It shall soon be 11:11. Lady Haven, I haveth a sincere wish not to die before the morrow…"

"Tis doubtful that should come to pass, Signorina Fia. However, to our rooms we should head," Haven replied.

Karma snorted. "You better move fast, before I get my claws on you."

"The terrifying manticore wants our heads," Haven's voice dripped with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes right outside the bedroom door.

Nagisa sighed. "At least you got home safely. We were really worried about you two…"

Karma grumbled, "Speak for yourself."

Before Haven could unleash another catapult's worth of sarcastic comments, Fia quickly brought her lady into their shared room and shut the door for the night.

* * *

Fia strained to clasp her bra behind her back. "C'mon! This fit not too long ago!" She protested and pleaded with the article of clothing for a good couple more moments before it finally clasped together. Fia blew some hair out of her face and tied the long locks into a low ponytail over her shoulder. She wore an off-shoulder green sweater over a white tank top and capris.

On the other side of the room, Haven was giving herself a haircut, a bob that went down to her chin. She was wearing a white dress shirt tucked into khaki pants, a black tie, and an oversized pale yellow cardigan. She looked like an aged version of her nine year old self.

"Haven," Fia called. "Can I use those shears when you're done?"

"Of course. It's not like they're exclusively mine," Haven replied in monotone.

"Thanks…" Fia sweat-dropped and moved to take the scissors from her friend. Her shoulders slumping as her confidence waned, she stood in front of the mirror in silence.

Haven walked out of the bedroom. Fia followed her silent roommate out and greeted Nagisa with a tentative smile.

"Good morning," Nagisa said to the girls. Haven gave him a nod of recognition and headed for the kitchen.

Fia approached the bluenette sitting in the living room with a timid smile. "Hi, Nagisa… Um, would you be willing to help me cut my hair?" She looked between Haven's stoic countenance and Nagisa's more friendly smile.

Nagisa took the scissors from her. "Just a trim, or -?"

The Italian ran her hand through her hair. "Please?"

"Sure thing," Nagisa smiled. The pair went to the bathroom and Nagisa began to trim Fia's hair methodically. After a couple of long moments, he put the scissors aside. "Fia, does Haven seem a little more distant this morning?"

The teenager quietly untangled her hair with her fingers before nodding slowly. "I was afraid of approaching her this morning, but I'm worried about her… Thank you for cutting my hair," Fia smiled slightly up at Nagisa. "I'll clean up here… Are you going to check on her?"

Nagisa nodded at Fia with a reassuring smile. "I'll do what I can." The bluenette disappeared through the doorway and went to find Haven.

Haven walked out of the kitchen with a slice of toast in her mouth and headed back to her bedroom.

* * *

Haven walked past Nagisa and picked up the oldest laptop on her desk. She sat on her bed as she opened it and logged in.

"How are you doing today?" Nagisa asked.

"My health is fine. I am about fifteen. The true yesterday seems hazy, like it happened years ago," Haven reported, not looking up from her computer.

Nagisa sighed silently. "That's not what I meant. How is your fifteen-year-old self? She's surprisingly quiet compared to the last few."

"I do not understand the question," Haven began typing vigorously.

"What has changed since you were twelve?" Nagisa rephrased his question.

"I graduated from middle school and went on to high school, skipping Freshman year. My older half-brother graduated from high school that same year, which was a good thing. I started coding around then. Right now I'm a Junior in high school," Haven reported.

"Do you have any friends at school?" Nagisa asked.

"I have never had friends at school. Now is no different," Haven replied.

"How's Earnest doing?" Nagisa sighed.

"He's started high school. I don't see him that often anymore. I have to prepare for the ACT and SAT next year and we go to different schools," Haven explained before looking up. "I'm trying to work on a chat box right now. Could you leave me alone so I can code?"

Slightly taken aback, Nagisa nodded before leaving the room.

* * *

After cleaning up, Fia made her way into the kitchen, where she found Karma standing over the toaster.

"I just saw Haven walk out of the kitchen, but there's no damage here. Not even a melted wire." Perplexed, he rubbed the back of his head.

Fia peered around Karma and sweat-dropped. The toaster did seem to be miraculously untouched. "Good morning, Karma," she murmured.

Karma looked over his shoulder. "Oh, hey. Mornin'. What do you want to cook today? I was thinking that it wouldn't be so bad to - Hey, are you listening to me?"

"Huh? O-Oh, yes, I'm sorry…" Fia trailed off. "I just have a lot on my mind… I-I'll, um, get cooking right away."

The redhead quirked an eyebrow as the girl hurried past him and opened the fridge. She scanned its contents and pulled out a bunch of ingredients. As she tried to pass him again, he stuck his arm out and stopped her. "Oi. What's wrong with you?"

Fia's eyes found their way to meet Karma's gaze. "He's missing, she's gone, and they need me to do so, so much…" Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "If I can just have some time, I-I'd appreciate it…"

Karma released his grip on the girl and watched her go.

* * *

Nagisa walked out of his room the following morning with Noriko's requested paperwork and data in hand. He was surprised to see Fia sitting rigidly on the couch as her eyes stayed fix on some distant, unseen spot on the wall. Karma had told him that she was feeling insecure, but it was as if she wasn't alive at all.

"Fia?" When she didn't answer him, Nagisa approached his housemate and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Huh…" Fia's gaze slowly found its way to the bluenette. "Oh, hello…"

Smiling wryly, Nagisa asked "How are you feeling?"

She didn't answer, but tucked her knees around her chin and hugged herself tightly.

Karma walked out of the bedroom and found his way into the living room. He put his hand on Nagisa's arm and shook his head slowly. "She's grieving for her brother. You might wanna leave her alone for a little while."

Nagisa's eyes widened and he turned to give Fia one last smile. "I'm sorry."

Smiling hollowly at her housemates, Fia rose to her feet and made her way to her room, where she was swept up by the shadow of the door like a ghost stolen by the wind.

Nagisa looked at his roommate, but Karma shoved his hands in his pockets and disappeared back into their shared room.

Haven walked into the living room, her white hair cascading down her back. She was dressed in a black dress shirt and khaki pants. "Good morning," she greeted them. She went up to Nagisa with a pair of scissors.

"Do you need help cutting your hair?" Nagisa asked the girl.

"No, I was going to ask you to assassinate someone," she said with a straight face. Nagisa sweatdropped. "I'm joking, it's not like you can. A haircut would be appreciated," she gave him a small smile, to which Nagisa laughed dryly.

"Right…"

* * *

Fia emerged from her room in a belted, green turtleneck and white jeans as she tied her lower-back-length hair back into a bun. She looked over her shoulder with a small smile. "What did you say you wanted for breakfast, Angel?"

"Anything's good, Tsu-chan," Haven smiled at her roommate. She was wearing her classical black shirt and pink tie with jeans. Her white hair cascaded down her back.

"Alright... " Fia made her way into the kitchen and pulled some eggs from the fridge. "Omelets then."

"Yum, no mustard please," Haven replied as Karma entered the kitchen.

The redhead sweat-dropped. "It was an accident," he said for the millionth time.

"What are you talking about?" Haven stared at him blankly. "Are you referring to something that happens in my future?"

Rubbing the back of his head, Karma sighed. "Never mind."

"Good morning, Karma," Fia murmured with a slight smile.

"Mornin'," he responded. "You feeling any better?"

Fia smiled at her housemate. "Of course. Thanks for checking in." She turned back to her omelets on the stove top.

Karma frowned, unconvinced. Not everything that looks happy is.

"Is Nagisa up? I need him to cut my hair again," Haven called to the redhead.

"Yeah, he's in our room, getting some reading in."

"Thanks, Red," Haven said as she got up and headed for the boys' room.

He shot her a nasty glare and stuck his tongue out as she passed.

"Hey Nagisa," she knocked on his door. "Could you give me a haircut?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," Nagisa called. A few moments later, he opened the door. "ワオ(Wow)," he breathed, "You're beautiful." Haven blushed.

"C-could you cut my hair please. I'll be in the kitchen," Haven walked away quickly. She re-entered the kitchen, red faced.

"Hey Red," Karma snickered. Haven just sat at the kitchen table.

Sweat-dropping, Fia placed plates in front of her housemates before taking a seat for herself and helping herself to her own food. Haven ate slowly until Nagisa came into the room.

"How short do you want me to cut your hair?" Nagisa asked, blushing slightly.

"I was thinking a short bob," Haven mumbled.

"Really? I… I like your hair longer…" Nagisa rubbed the back of his head before sitting down to breakfast.

"Oh. I don't really care then. Just don't let it be too long. I wouldn't know how to care for it…" Haven replied.

Fia sighed as she picked at her food. "It shouldn't be too hard with a couple of adjustments but…" she gestured to her own hair with a fork. "I can see why you'd be worried. I'm not even sure how I let it get this long," she admitted. "Maybe I'll cut it someday soon…"

* * *

Haven was sitting on the couch with hair that went down to her mid back and bangs that were beginning to interfere with her sight.

"I just cut it this morning," she sighed. "I guess that means I'm back to normal then,"she mused to herself before getting up to find Nagisa. He really was very talented at cutting hair.

"Kyah!" Fia's voice echoed through the hall from her room. "Seriously?! Dio, no!"

Karma went into the girls' room to see what was the matter. "Hey, Fia, are you okay?" The redhead stopped in his tracks as he saw the Italian hunched over slightly with her hands up the back of her shirt.

She looked over her shoulder and her face turned red. Laughing awkwardly, Fia stuttered, "I guess I'm back to normal."

"Sorry," Karma mumbled. "I'm going now."

Stumbling forward, Fia reached for Karma. "W-Wait!" She blushed profusely. "C-Could you please clasp it f-for me?"

"Okay," Karma turned towards the girl's backside, averting his eyes.

Fia squirmed. "Hey, that tickles!"

"I haven't even grabbed it yet," he sighed. After a moment, both heard a satisfying click.

The Italian awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. "You're surprisingly good at that -" Her face turned tomato red as she realized where he must have gotten that experience from.

"Oh, shit. Don't -" Karma began.

"KKYYYYYAAAAAHHHHHH!" Fia screamed loudly and pulled away from Karma quickly before shoving him harshly out of the door. "GETOUTGETOUTGETOUT!"

"Looks like they're back to normal," Haven noted from her seat in the bathroom. Nagisa nodded as he trimmed another section of hair.

* * *

Noriko: I'm not scary!

Fia: (Blushing and trembling slightly) I-I'm sorry Ms. Tachibana…

Classified: (laughing his head off)

Noriko: Not helping, Thomas.

Classified: Still not even in the ballpark.

Haven: You boys sounded like parents. (smirk)

Fia: (Softly smiles) Thanks for taking such good care of us… Sorry if we were any trouble. I know this wasn't the breast - I mean best situation! (Turns red)

Left Brain: Why did we include this arc?

Right Brain: To give everyone a little insight into the girls' pasts and how they have and will change~!

Karma: Wow, Right Brain, you said something intelligible for a change? Who woulda thunk it was possible?

Right Brain: (Pouts) Dun be a meanie! ( /3/)

Fia: (Stifles a giggle) Your faces are always kind of cute…

Right Brain: Why thank you~ (Attacks Fia in hugs) Please don't hate me! ("~)

Fia: Why would I? (Sweat-drops)

Right Brain: You seem so sad…! Cheer up, Fia~!

Fia: E-Easier said than done...

Nagisa: We have some fun stuff in store for the next chapter.

Narrator: Right! In the next chapter, it's the battle of the holidays! Which is more important to our lovely housemates?

Right Brain: HOOORRAAAAAYYY! ( ^ - ^ ) Sweets all the way, all day~!

Left Brain: That was way too dramatic.


	29. Chapter 29: White Pi Day

"Hey Kavi, do we have enough raspberry pies for this afternoon?" Haven asked into the phone, slipping a tee shirt over her head. "What do you mean we're a few short? We need all the pies we can get!" Haven panicked as she tied her hair back into a low pony tail. "Yeah, I'll see if I can find some… That joke was NOT funny" The white haired girl walked out of the bedroom. She hung up her cell phone and walked into the kitchen, putting some bread into the toaster.

"I'll be back around noon," Haven called to her housemates as she grabbed the finished toast and ran out of the apartment.

"Wait, Haven," Nagisa called after the girl, but she was already gone. He turned back to his remaining housemates. "Does anyone know where she's gone?"

Fia came out of her room with a calendar clutched to her chest. "I think she's gone off with Comp. Sci. Club to celebrate 3/14, Pi Day… If you want, we can all walk over to where the math, robotics, and computer science clubs are hosting an event for it on the other side of campus." She smiled slightly.

* * *

"3.141592653!" A large group of college students in matching t-shirts cheered on the other side of the quad. Up front a familiar white-haired girl could be spotted cheering enthusiastically. Next to her stood Kavi, cheering just as loudly.

Karma, hands in his pockets, gestured with his chin towards the crowd of cheering college students. "Found her."

Placing her hands behind her back, Fia turned to Nagisa. "Why don't you go check out the displays?" she asked. "I'm not huge on crowds, but you go on ahead."

Nagisa walked up to the crowd and found Haven.

"What's going on here?" He asked her.

"We're celebrating Pi day!" Haven smiled, "since pi is the most famous and widely used irrational number. Behind us is a large board of digital number displays. It shows the first one thousand digits of pi. Do you want to program the flashing pattern for one of the numbers?"

"Um… Sure. Why not," Nagisa shrugged. Haven led him over to a nearby tent set up with several computers.

"This is a drag and drop program based off of the C+ language. You can control the intervals in which the light display is on and off," Haven explained with a smile. "If you need any more help, just call me or anyone in this t-shirt," she pointed to the black shirt she was wearing, which had a pi symbol printed on it.

"So, how do you do this?" Nagisa asked. Haven stayed to explain the programing and walk him through it. Once he seemed to get the hang of it, Haven left to help others. Shortly, Kavi walked over.

"How's the programing going?" He asked.

"I think I get it," Nagisa replied.

"Also, there's something I want to tell you," Kavi leaned over to take a look at Nagisa's screen. "I like Haven, but she likes someone else. I'm giving him till the spring dance to make a move before I do. This is for her sake, not his." His voice was determined, but not cocky or malicious. "Have fun at today's event," Kavi smiled as he walked off.

A little while later, Haven came by. "Do you want to keep working on the program or is it ready?" She smiled.

"Year, I think it's ready," Nagisa said as he got up.

Haven disconnected a clear case the size of an altoid tin containing a green computer chip from the computer. "This is called a raspberry pi," she explained. "It contains the data for sequence you just programmed. We will connect this to the display and it will flash according to the code you gave it." Haven walked away. A few moments later, she came back. "Go look at the display and find your number," she smiled.

Nagisa went to look at the display and found his number. The '2' flashed and faded like a heartbeat.

* * *

"Pi Day without pie? Where's the fun in that?" Karma smirked.

Fia shrugged slightly and tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "I think it's a very well-rounded event."

"Was that a bad circle joke?" He shot her a look.

"Hehe, maybe?" Fia rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "I think it's great they have something to be so enthusiastic about…" she murmured.

"Don't you?" Karma asked. "Your music and art?"

Laughing dryly, Fia stared at the earnest group of kids, all wearing Pi Day shirts. "Maybe. I do like cooking though. It's so… universal and fundamental." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply as the wind whipped her hair and clothes about her. As the air settled around her once again, Fia turned towards Karma with a smile. "Speaking of food, what would you say to having raspberry pie for today's dessert?"

"I think I'm going to be sick of pie after today," he sighed. "You don't seem too into this event. You wanna go somewhere?"

"Sure," Fia replied. "Where to?"

Karma bit his fingernail for a brief second. "How about the field?"

Humming, Fia nodded slowly. "That sounds peaceful." She smiled, the first truly contented one in awhile.

* * *

Nagisa went for a walk after leaving the Pi event. He needed time to think about what Kavi had told him.

"Hi, Nagisa," a voice called from just off the paved path. The auburn-haired girl rolled onto her stomach and smiled.

Karma tilted his head back on the grass. "Hey, Nagisa. What's up?"

"Not much," Nagisa waved to the pair, "Can I talk to you guys?"

Fia and Karma sat up and exchanged glances.

"Of course," Fia said with a slight smile. "Wanna sit down?"

"Sure," Nagisa sat on the grass next to them. "At the event, Kavi told me something and I'm not sure how to take it…"

"Haven's coding buddy?" Karma asked. "What he say to you?"

"He said something about liking Haven, but she likes someone else. So, he's not going to make a move until the spring dance," Nagisa explained.

Fia shifted so that she could tuck her knees into her chest. "She likes someone? Who's that?"

Karma stared at her. "It's Nagisa, obviously. Why else would Kavi approach him?"

The Italian pouted and threw some grass at her redheaded counterpart. "I just want to make sure and be careful, especially after what happened the last time I got involved in Haven's lovelife…" She turned back to Nagisa. "Well, are you going to make your move, Nagisa?" Fia asked tentatively.

"I don't know what to do…" Nagisa looked at his friends, "How does Kavi know that Haven likes me? Did she tell him? But that doesn't sound like her."

Karma rubbed the back of his head. "So that's what that was about. You didn't notice that she's been a little more awkward around you - discounting the toddler time, of course."

Nagisa looked at Karma with surprise. "You actually pay attention to her?" Karma looked at him begrudgingly.

Running her hands through the grass absentmindedly, Fia hummed. "Considering Haven hasn't liked anyone before, and that she isn't particularly fond of change," she said slowly, "I think it makes sense that she's put a little distance between you two… I don't think that should deter you, though, Nagisa."

"How do I even approach her? We all know how well Benny's attempt went," Nagisa sighed.

"Idiot." Karma smacked Nagisa upside the head lightly. "You really are clueless, aren't you?" He ignored a protesting pout from Fia.

"What was that for?" Nagisa protested, "I'm not as adept as you in this field."

"You approach her like you did us. Openly and honestly," Karma said flatly.

"Without being brash, but calmly like you are now," Fia added with a smile.

"I'm still worried about how she might react… she was in no condition to give Benny any sort of answer for about a week," Nagisa replied.

"In Haven's defense, Benny did kind of proclaim his love to her… In her face… Loudly," Fia mumbled.

Karma sweat-dropped. "Maybe avoid the big L-word for now, Nagisa. Or, you could try to break her."

Fia's eyebrows knitted together. "Karma?"

"You can do something so friggin' romantic that she has no choice but to accept it 'cause she's so mentally-broken," the redhead said flatly as he rolled his eyes.

"Karma…" Nagisa and Fia sighed together.

Smiling wryly, Fia placed her hand reassuringly on Nagisa's arm. "Nagisa, you know yourself, and I think Haven might have opened up to you in ways she hasn't to me. I think you should just take some time to think about it and go with you think is best. I've learned that sometimes we need to make decisions and just stick by them." She smiled and handed Nagisa a red tulip. "Believe me, a declaration of love," Fia explained. "I hope it brings you luck."

A cheer came from the direction of the Pi day event. The three looked over to see Haven running towards them. "We finished! All of the first one thousand digits have been programmed. Come and see!" She called to them.

The four housemates made their way back to the display where a large orange pi sign glowed. Each number flashed in a different sequence, making the pi sign appear to be shimmering. "They're serving raspberry pie now, if you want some," Haven smiled.

Fia smiled softly at Haven and Karma, who were making their way towards the dessert. "Pi is like love," she murmured.

Nagisa peered over at her. "How so?"

She laughed lightly. "It's irrational but it's beautifully unique and infinite. No matter your view on either, they both still make things come full circle, perfectly. Isn't that a strange but wonderful feeling?"

* * *

Haven smiled as she bid her friends farewell outside the apartment. Today had been exhausting, but so much fun. Helping at events like today's always made her feel like she was part of something bigger. It was a good feeling for her. She made her way to her bedroom, humming happily.

As she entered, she noticed Gisa-kun was on the center of her bed. He was holding a bag of white-chocolate chip cookies, each with a pi sign written on it in frosting. She smiled and picked up the bag.

"Happy White Day," she read the tag attached to it, "From: Nagisa."

* * *

Sitting at the kitchen table, Fia flipped through the pages of her portfolio. Entirely immersed in looking over her paintings, she didn't notice that a plate had been set down in front of her until the chime-like clink of a fork caught her attention. Fia closed the portfolio and looked up to see Karma sitting across from her with an amused expression and a covered plate.

"What'cha doin?" he asked.

Fia blushed and held the portfolio to her chest. "Just looking at some old paintings," she explained. "I have one I really like in here of dandelions. They remind me of someone important."

Raising an eyebrow, Karma leaned forward and propped his chin on his hand. "You've been very melancholy lately. Nostalgia, much?"

The Italian nodded slowly. "I just… Never realized how much responsibility I had put on me when Felix and Felicia left," Fia admitted. "I thought I took those on myself for a sense of purpose or to protect my siblings - I'm not really sure. All I know now is that I wasn't as willing a participant as I thought…"

"Wish I could relate," Karma said, "but my parents up and ditched me."

Trying to change the subject, Fia pointed to the dome plate cover. "What's that?"

Standing, Karma shuffled the objects towards Fia with a hand. He removed the dome and rubbed the back of his neck.

Green eyes widened, shining with the reflection of the green dessert in front of them. "Green tea roll cake, whipped filling, white chocolate drizzle, and strawberry flowers?" Fia smiled at the fluffy cake and then up at her blushing companion. "What's this for?" she asked.

Karma moved the pastry aside and revealed a Japanese desserts cookbook. "Happy White Day," he mumbled.

Fia laughed happily, a melody that filled the room with a tranquil air. She brought a strawberry to her lips with rosy cheeks. "Thank you, Karma." Holding the strawberry out to him, Fia giggled and grinned. "But, I'd love nothing more than to share this with you."

* * *

Narrator: Oh! An ultimatum! This is exciting!

Nagisa: (sweatdrops)

Narrator: Next time, someone comes to visit. This will be a 'pun' time.

Haven: (groan) Does he have to come?


	30. Chapter 30: Date Time

Hearing a strong knocking, Fia made her way from her room to open the front door.

"Oh, hey, Fia." A familiar computer science student stood, leaning against the doorframe.

"Kavi!" The girl timidly stepped behind the door to give the tall male room to enter the apartment.

He chuckled. "You're as shy as ever."

Reddening, Fia mumbled, "I take it you're here to see Haven? I can go get her - I think she's getting ready…"

Kavi laughed as he put his hands in his pockets and surveyed the apartment. "Yeah, we have plans today. Don't worry about it, though. She can take her time."

Fia smiled slightly, but she wasn't sure how to go about making small talk, so she brought up one of the campus's currently, most hotly discussed topic. "Are you going to the Spring Fling?"

"I intend to. What about you?"

"I'm hoping that I can convince Haven to go," Fia admitted. "I don't know who else would want to go with me."

Eyes twinkling, Kavi smiled bemusedly to himself. "I'll see what I can do."

Fia was taken aback and wanted to speak, but Haven emerged from the room just then.

"Kavi, I wasn't expecting you for another ten minutes." Haven looked surprised to see him.

"Well, if you still need time to get ready," Kavi rubbed the back of his head.

"Nope, I'm ready," Haven confirmed before leaving the apartment with her tall classmate.

"That was Kavi, wasn't it?" Nagisa sighed as he exited his room.

Fia locked the front door and nodded at her housemate. "Yeah, it was… Are you hungry?"

The two took seats at the kitchen table together to eat. They ate in awkward silence for some time before Nagisa pushed his empty plate away and looked to Fia.

"Are you alright? You seem a little down," he observed aloud.

Fia sighed. "Oh, you know… My stutter came back and I got so flustered that I got really awkward… I'm working on a little mental trick to give myself confidence in social situations," she murmured.

"That sounds just like you," a voice said. Karma approached the pair with a teasing smirk. "Finding a ridiculous, silly way to solve your problems."

Fia blushed and stuck her tongue out at the redhead. "A.S.S.H.O.L.E. stands for 'Akabane's Sarcasm and Sadism Has Obtrusive Loathe-some Effects' on my self-esteem!" She crossed her arms and huffed, cheeks growing redder.

Nagisa grinned. "Did you come up with that just now? That was impressive."

"M-Maybe…" The Italian picked up her fork and poked at the last of her food as she tried to avoid either of the guys' gazes.

Somewhere between irritated and amused, Karma sighed and walked off, his hands locked behind his head.

"Are you going out, Karma?" Nagisa asked.

"Something like that." Karma waved it off dismissively. "See ya later." The door swung shut behind him.

Nagisa sighed. "If only they knew."

Fia tilted her head questioningly. "Knew what?"

"How do I put this lightly? There are always a lot of girls attracted to Karma and his good looks, but his bad behavior always made them wary." He sweat-dropped.

"Oh…" Fia lowered her fork and sighed. "I don't think I'm hungry anymore…"

* * *

"I need to talk to everyone in the kitchen," Haven called to her housemates.

Karma raised an eyebrow from where he was leaning back in one of his chairs at the kitchen table. "What's up? It's not like you to call a house meeting."

Taking their seats, Fia and Nagisa put down their books on the table and turned to listen to Haven intently.

"Starting tomorrow, a friend of mine will be staying with us," Haven said. "He's interested in going to college here. He'll be here for a week, his spring break… I've told him he could stay on the couch," Haven explained.

"Oh, okay." Fia nodded in understanding and smiled. "What's his name? Should I clean up a little?"

"It's Earnest. There's no reason to clean up for him," Haven sighed.

Fia tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Really? Earnest is coming?" She smiled slightly. "This will be fun!"

"Fun… that's one way to describe it," Haven muttered. "If I didn't love him," she sighed under her breath, leaning her head on her hand.

"But you do love him," Fia gently reminded her.

"No point denying it," Haven muttered as she placed her head on the table.

While Nagisa and Karma exchanged glances, Fia rose to her feet. "I can't wait to see him." Smiling to herself, Fia turned to her housemates. "I'll clean up and cook as soon as I get back from my training session with Ms. Jelavic." She waved and headed back to her room to get ready and leave.

"I guess we're done here," Haven said, lifting her head and walking out of the kitchen.

Karma shot Nagisa a look. "Do you know what that was about?" he asked his roommate.

"What are you talking about?" Nagisa asked, not looking at the redhead.

Face-palming, Karma smacked Nagisa upside the head. "I know you heard her, Nagisa."

"That would mean Kavi was wrong about who she liked," Nagisa sighed and turned to Karma. "Now what do I do?"

"Stick to the plan," Karma said flatly. "I've never seen you care this much about someone before. Really, you'll regret it if you don't man up and just tell her how you feel."

"I don't want to intrude though," Nagisa protested. "If she's already taken, I don't want to come between them…"

Karma sighed as he stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You deserve to at least get your feelings out," he asserted, "but do what you will, Nagisa. It's your life." With that, Karma headed for the front door, waving over his shoulder.

* * *

At about three, there was a knock at the door. Haven went to answer it.

"Oh, Earnest," she greeted him. "We weren't expecting you till tomorrow."

"Haven! Weren't you just 'springing' to see me? I hope I didn't 'break' your heart by taking too long!" Earnest smiled as he squeezed the petite girl and made his way inside. She began chasing him trying to poke him in the side. The tan boy laughed as he dodged her. He ran into the living room, where Nagisa was sitting on a couch.

"Hey! I'm Earnest!" he waved while continuing to dodge Haven's attacks. "Contrastingly to your name, you're no safe 'haven' for the pun-niest of comedians, are you?" Earnest laughed and Haven stopped, causing him to look at her with a slightly concerned expression. "Did I take that too far?"

"Nope, no more than usual. I'm just done with your… presence for now," Haven sighed as she went into the kitchen. "Want a drink, Earnest?"

"Sure! Do you have grape soda?" he called from where he had flopped onto the empty couch.

"Always grape soda with you," Haven sighed with a smile. "I'll see if I can find some."

"I'm Nagisa Shiota, Haven's housemate," Nagisa introduced himself. "You two seem close."

"Yeah, we've been together for what seems like forever," Earnest smiled. "She seems to get annoyed with me, but we both know she finds me charming," he shot a smug look in her direction as she walked back into the room carrying a can.

Haven sighed and rolled her eyes at him as she tossed him the purple container. "You know where you're staying right? Make yourself at home."

"The couch, got it!" He saluted her and opened the can before shooting it back.

"If you chug that, you're going to get hiccups," Haven sighed and sat next to Nagisa.

Earnest sat up, placed the can on the coffee table, and began rummaging through his backpack. "The next movie in that action series we liked as kids is out on DVD; I brought it with me," Earnest smiled and pulled out a thin plastic case covered in action photos and Chinese symbols.

* * *

With a quick click, Fia pushed the front door open to the apartment. Sighing in exhaustion, she dragged her feet over to where Haven and another boy were watching a movie in the living room. She glanced over at the screen to see characters fighting fiercely, yelling in Chinese. Deciding not to disrupt the pair's intent focus, Fia left to find Nagisa.

"那个女孩很可爱，(That girl is cute,)" Earnest pointed to one of the girls on the screen.

Haven looked at him with a sigh, "你平常觉得一样她的女孩很可爱。她是你的类型你觉得他很可爱。(You often like girls like her. She is your type.)" Earnest rubbed the back of his head bashfully before trying to change the subject.

"Haven, 你觉得他帅吗？(Haven, do you think he's handsome?)" Earnest pointed to a guy on the screen and looked at Haven. "他是不是你的类型？(Is he your type?)"

"哎呀！(What!?)" Haven looked away, blushing, "你的问题太麻烦。别的人是我的类型。(Your question is unpleasant. Someone else is my type.)"

"是吗？是吗？Haven 喜欢有人！(What? What? Haven likes someone?)" Earnest began wiggling his eyebrows at the white haired girl. "Haven 喜欢谁？我是他吗？(Who does Haven like? Is it me?)" He winked at her, which caused her to blush more and throw a pillow at him. He caught it, laughing at her pouting face.

"闭嘴，(Shut up,)" Haven looked at the screen, still pink faced. "我想要看这个电影。(I want to watch the movie.)" Earnest laughed and went back to watching the fight scene with her.

* * *

Fia knocked on Nagisa's door tentatively.

"Come in!" the bluenette called.

Turning the knob slowly, Fia poked her head in through the doorway. She saw Nagisa sitting on his bed with a couple of short stacks of books spread out in front of him. Smiling, she let herself into the room and closed the door softly. "Still studying?"

Nagisa nodded as he closed a book and set it aside. "Yeah, I only have a couple more days, after all. Spring break is already this upcoming weekend, huh?"

Sitting gingerly on the edge of his bed, Fia laughed. "I guess so. Do you think you'll go to the Spring Fling?"

"The dance?" Nagisa blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I'm not the best dancer, but I think it could be fun. I'll probably go. After all, it's not something I've done before. Are you going?"

She shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his gaze. "I'm not sure. I've never had the best time at dances - mostly because I never had anyone to go with, but… Now I have friends like you, and it might be a good change of pace!" Fia smiled hopefully. "Especially after all this studying," she added.

Nagisa chuckled. "That's true. Don't you have finals to study for?"

The Italian girl giggled. "I've prepared for most of my classes. I think I only have a little more work to do on my final project for art." She held up her stained hands as proof.

The bluenette blinked a couple of times and showed his friend a concerned expression. "Fia, what happened to your hands?"

"What do you mean?" She looked down and laughed. "Oh, you mean the bandages? Ms. Jelavic and Mr. Karasuma really went hard on the training with me today, and, although I have more bruises on my butt than I'd like to admit, I think I'm finally getting the hang of close combat. I'd actually appreciate if you'd do some drills with me," Fia said with a wry smile.

Sweat-dropping, Nagisa sighed. "I'll definitely help out where I can, but Karma is more adept at fighting. I can understand why you might not want to ask him for help though. What changed your mind?"

Fia scratched her cheek with a finger. "Well, reliving my past made me realize that I have a lot that I want to protect. It's not just for others, but also for me, you know? I think I've spent a long time regretting, and I think this challenge will help me feel like I have some ability to be an active agent in my own life." The girl's cheeks began to burn a scarlet red. "D-Did that sound weird?"

Nagisa shook his head. "Not at all. I think being in E class helped me in a similar way," he admitted, smiling softly. He brought his gaze back to his companion. "Are you okay now, Fia? You weren't lying before but…"

"I see where you're going with this…" Fia smiled wryly. "No, I wasn't lying when I said I was alright, but thinking that you're alright is different than actually being alright, right? It was just a huge shock to experience everything again… Leaving Italy, being isolated at school, seeing my brother leave and die, watching the affection drain from my mother, begging my sister to stay, and becoming the person you know as Fia today. It was a lot, and I'm pretty sure that I still haven't come to terms with it completely."

"That does sound like a lot," he admitted. "But there's always another morning after a dark night."

Fia smiled. "You can say that again. I'm not trying to say that I'm unhappy with how things turned out… I mean, I have four 'cute' little siblings, don't I?" She laughed dryly. "Being a big sibling is a bittersweet blessing. I'm really glad they're taking to Karma though."

"I'm an only child, so I'm not sure that I can relate but… You and Karma are close, aren't you?" Nagisa noted.

"What do you mean?" Fia tilted her head slightly.

He smiled. "Well, it just seems like you've opened up since we met you, and I thought that came from him. He seemed to know a lot about you and your family. Karma wasn't surprised at all when you were a child and had difficulties. I figured that you must be comfortable talking to him. S-Sorry, I didn't mean to assume."

"It's fine… I do think it's easy for me to be open with him, even if some of that is because he's so incendiary at times." Fia laughed flatlywith a sweat-drop forming on her cheek. "I think I could say the same about Angel, thanks to you."

"Me?" Blue eyes widened.

Fia smiled cheerfully. "Anyway, I know it's a little late, but I wanted to ask you what you wanted for dinner."

"Oh, um." Nagisa thought for a few moments. "Would udon be too much to ask?"

"Not at all," she responded, "but I usually have Karma help me out with Asian foods. Where is he anyway?"

Shoulders visibly slumping, Nagisa answered hesitantly, "He's on a date. I don't know if he'll be back anytime soon…"

"Oh…" Smiling disappointedly, Fia sweat-dropped. "Well, it might not be as authentic as you're used to, but I'll do my best!"

After talking for a little while longer, Fia and Nagisa exited the bedroom together. Fia waved at Haven and a boy with a familiar face, talking on the couches as the credits scrolled down the television screen.

"Oh, Earnest!" Fia made her way over to the couches to greet Haven's companion.

The boy turned to greet Fia with a goofy smile. "That's me! You're Haven's roommate, right? And, hi, Nagisa!"

Nagisa waved in greeting at the same time that Fia, suddenly self-conscious, shyly stepped back behind him. He gave her a questioning look but her gaze stayed fixed on the other boy.

"Yes," Fia mumbled, "It's good to see you again… You've grown quite a lot, haven't you?"

Earnest looked from Fia to Haven and back. "Have we met before? Oh! You're the girl from the Chinese New Year's festival!" He laughed. "I don't think I've grown that much since then, only my fighting spirit!"

Fia blushed, remembering that particularly embarrassing moment. "Well, you've grown a lot since camp."

"Camp? Oh, those were good times, weren't they, Haven?" He grinned enthusiastically at Haven, who rolled her eyes at his statement. "We went to camp together?"

"Yes, I, um…" Fia quickly put her hair into pigtails and clasped her hands together. "S-Seeing you makes me quite the happy camper," she began, "I 'lake' to think that our meeting was f-fated, and that we had quite a 'pun' time together. Hopefully, this will make you fin-ally remember me…"

"FISH-PUN GIRL! Camp leader's little sister!" With that outburst, Earnest glomped the girl, causing her to become flustered to the point that she was reduced to incoherent stutters.

Haven sighed. "Earnest, let go of Tsu-chan."

"Why?" He asked. "Should I hug you instead?" Earnest threw his arms around the white-haired girl with a laugh.

"EARNEST!" Haven knocked him on the head with a slight scowl.

Nagisa, sweat-dropping, placed his hand on the pigtailed girl's shoulder. "Are you alright, Fia?"

She nodded slowly. "I-I think so. I was just surprised…"

"Fia?" Earnest let the name roll off of his tongue. "As in we're going to use our powers to force Haven into a pun-ny fia-sco?"

Nagisa and Fia sweat-dropped as Haven, having face-palmed with a particularly annoyed expression, began to chase Earnest around again, all while yelling at him in Chinese.

Stifling a giggle, Fia twirled her long locks around a finger. "Some things never change."

"They've always been like this?" Nagisa inquired with a strained expression.

"Mhmm. They've always been this close," she admitted. "I've never seen him without her by his side."

* * *

Earnest hadn't even been there for a full 6 hours and Haven was already regretting it. What should have been a quiet dinner evolved into an all-out pun war between Earnest and Fia once he'd mentioned that he wanted to work with animals for a living.

"I have all the right koala-fications, so when I get the offer to be an intern, 'alpaca' my bags!" Earnest said as he slurped down another huge bite of noodles.

"Are you 'kitten' me right 'meow'? This is a cat-astrophe!" Fia said between between strangled gasps for air. "You know puns 'quack' me up too much! Keep it up and I won't be able to 'duck' out of this conversation!"

"That's the seal-iest thing I've ever heard! You must be 'sea-lion.' There's no such thing as too much! Your lies are un-bear-able im-paw-sible to stand. Panda-monium will only happen if you fur-get to tell puns!"

"Toad-ally. I frog-get how ribbet-ing you are with words! Who would have 'trunk' that you'd be so good at this; resistance is ir-elephant, indeed." Fia nodded matter-of-factly. "But 'toucan' play at this game!"

"There you go!" Earnest cheered. "No need to be sheepish. If you wool-d, please do offer up some more jokes. No one's 'counting' points!"

Haven groaned audibly and Nagisa sweat-dropped, trying to ignore the excessive amounts of laughter coming from Earnest and Fia.

"Don't you mean 'gopher' it?" She giggled.

"I can 'sea' that everyone 'otter' know that those puns are too 'main stream,'" he replied as he waved his hand dismissively. "I 'whaled' those puns." Earnest winked.

"But you were a little slow on the uptake, so I'd say that you only 'snailed' it," Fia retorted.

"But 'buck' standards, I 'deer' say that ordinary is boring, so much so that I'd rather just 'fawn' and take a nap."

"How phila-sloth-ical… I think even cliche puns are a 'hoot,' and 'owl' see what I can do to change your mind!"

"An emu-sing thought," Earnest grinned.

"How about a-moose-ing? Our friendly b-antler is so punny, it has me hoof-ing for air and my throat is 'horse' from laughter!"

"Do you 'sea' the hu-manatee in this?" He laughed.

Haven jabbed Earnest's side. "This is cruel and unusual pun-ishment!"

"Would you say," Fia began, "that we're 'giraffing' you crazy?"

"Now you've beak-ed my interest!" The boy grinned. "I thought this was going to get hawk-ward!"

"You think animal puns are all I need, acorn-y joke will do just fine!" Fia mumbled, avoiding Haven's glare.

"Please don't get into more puns," Nagisa pleaded.

"Well, if you don't like our puns, you can 'leaf,' but you should really try to 'branch' out and tree-t yourselves to a good laugh here and there" Earnest started.

"We're out!" With that, Nagisa and Haven put their noodle bowls down and escaped to their respective rooms.

Looking towards Fia, Earnest asked, "Did I 'bark' up the wrong tree? You know I'm a real 'sap' for plant puns."

"You wood-n't get 'board' with any type of pun," Fia giggled softly. "I photo-sympathize with you."

"Plant-astic! I'm super re-leaf-ed. You're one in a 'melon' and I'm 'berry' glad to have met you! 'Orange' you glad we're friends?" Earnest grinned derpily.

"Of course, as much as you can be with a celebri-tree among pun-ny people. I can really tell that this friendship will blossom with time!"

* * *

"Haven! The grape depression is upon us! Where's the grape soda? This isn't a prohibition, is it?" Earnest cried from where he was sticking his head in the fridge.

She sighed. "It's never too early for you to start making puns, is it?"

"I like bad puns and I cannot lie~!" Earnest sang as he grabbed a couple of fruits.

Karma, sitting crankily at the kitchen table, sighed. "I can see why Nagisa went to have breakfast in the cafeteria."

"I should have joined him…" Haven muttered under her breath.

Tying her hair into pigtails and brushing out the tangles with her fingers, Fia entered the kitchen. "Good morning, everyone. Happy Monday!"

"Mornin'~!" Earnest waved excitedly and took a large bite out of the red delicious in his hand. "I see that the apples of my eye are both here now! Now life is just peachy! Should I start on the puns?"

"I think you've already started, but I think we make quite the 'pear,' don't you?" Fia giggled as she took a seat at the table between Earnest and Karma.

"Nothing does 'beet' a really good pun. I love them from my head -" Earnest began.

"Earnest," Haven said sharply.

"'Tomatoes!'" Fia finished with a smile, ignoring Haven's obvious sigh.

Earnest brought his banana to his mouth. "I think your puns are a-peel-ing!"

"Why, thank you! I fig-ured that you'd like a good laugh. It wasn't a big 'dill.'"

Karma quirked an eyebrow. "You two are making quite the dynamic duo, aren't you?"

The pair exchanged smiles and continued to eat their breakfasts, thankfully in silence. It wasn't until Haven put her dishes in the sink and made her way to the front door with her laptop and bag in hand that Earnest jumped up. Before she could escape to her classes, she had to deal with prying a zealously-glomping Earnest off of her.

"Just behave yourself while I'm gone," Haven said with a slight smile.

"I will, I will. I've been here for a couple of days and I haven't destroyed anything yet. Love ya, Haven!" After giving her a peck on the cheek, Earnest waved his white-haired counterpart off and shut the door behind her.

Karma turned to shoot Fia a questioning glance about their guest, but she was already following Haven out of the apartment. Sighing, he rose to his feet and placed his dishes in the sink. He would just have to go to class for now. Questions could wait, but midterms wouldn't.

* * *

"Welcome back!" Earnest glomped Fia as soon as she walked through the door with Karma.

"Oof!" Fia laughed lightly as she hugged Earnest. "Hi, Earnest!"

He released her with a grin. "You didn't freak out this time!"

"I-I think I'm getting used to it," Fia admitted as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Oh, really?" Karma smirked. He ensnared Fia in a hug from behind and she squeaked, turning red.

"KARMA!" Fia yelled as the red spread up to her ears and down to her toes. In a flustered panic, she began to struggle.

Dodging a flailing hand flying towards his face, Karma released the girl. "Alright, alright." He ran his hand through his hair and laughed. "You're too easy to mess with, Tsu-chan." Karma emphasized the nickname as much as he could.

She blushed scarlet. "K-Karma!" Fia covered her face with her hands. "D-Don't do that! It's e-embarrassing!"

"You can't 'beet' that shade of red when it comes to cuteness!" Earnest proclaimed as he threw his arms around Fia again. "My turn!"

Fia sweat-dropped and sighed quietly. "You're lucky Haven isn't around to pun-ch you out for that one, Earnest." Sighing and trying to will the red pigmenting her cheeks into fading away, she ruffled his hair.

Earnest grinned as he released Fia again. "I miss her catchphrase." Impersonating his favorite gal, he put on an annoyed face, crossed his arms, changed his voice, and said "Earnest, this is cruel and unusual pun-ishment!"

"Pfft - That actually wasn't a half-bad impression," Karma smirked.

"I can also do one of Camp Leader!" Earnest cleared his throat and put on a little bit of an Italian accent. "Earnest! Stop, before the bear eats you!"

Fia laughed, clutching her sides. "That's not fair! _Fratello_ and I were really worried about you, and EVERYONE was yelling that!"

Solemn orange eyes glanced between the laughing, playfully-shoving-each-other pair. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Karma turned on his heel and made his way towards his room.

* * *

Nagisa smiled at Fia, who was intently painting in the living room. "Working on your midterm?"

Fia turned around, revealing that her face was covered in light pigments. She smiled. "Was it obvious?"

The bluenette moved around to see what she was working on. "What's that? A flower?"

"Yes, well…" Nodding slowly, Fia placed her brush lightly in her lap. "It has to do with a family legend, perhaps a blessing or curse, of ours. I would tell you more but…" she trailed off.

"I understand. Your family is a secret. Still, the white lily is quite pretty." Nagisa looked around. "It's strangely quiet in here. Where's Earnest?" he asked.

Fia laughed. "It is, isn't it? We sent him off on a campus tour for prospective students. He's here for more than just torturing us, you know," she said playfully.

"You really like do puns, especially earnest puns," Nagisa noted with an increasing sweat-drop.

"Nice pun, Nagisa~" She giggled and then paused to sip at her drink. "Well, puns were a great way for me to learn English," she admitted. "Puns and mnemonics."

"Like that one you used on Karma earlier?" Nagisa asked. "Have you seen Haven, by any chance?"

Fia hummed. "Angel and Earnest are chatting in our room with Wally. They seemed to be having a lot of fun together so I thought I'd come out here to paint instead."

Nagisa nodded slowly and sat down on the couch. "Mind if I do some reading here?"

With a quick slash of her brush, Fia smiled. "Not at all~."

* * *

Haven and Earnest walked through the living room where the other housemates were sitting.

"We'll be back in about two hours," Haven called to them.

"Where are you two going?"

"We're getting some exercise," Earnest wiggled his eyebrows. Haven rolled her eyes and dragged him out of the apartment with her, closing the door behind them.

"What exactly did he mean by exercise?" Nagisa asked. "That was a strange way of saying that…"

Fia's eyes widened. "Didn't they just mean exercise?" Her cheeks flushed slightly. "Wait, you couldn't mean…!"

* * *

"Come on, Haven," Earnest called as the two returned to the apartment. "It wasn't that bad."

"I've had it. I'm done with your puns," Haven sighed and plopped down on the couch in the living room.

"Ah, come on, you know you love me," Earnest tackled her in a hug from behind. Haven shrieked incoherently at him as he jumped over the couch and pinned her.

Nagisa entered the living room to see what caused the commotion; he blushed and froze.

"What do you want?!" Haven grumbled as she wriggled her arms free.

"A kiss," Earnest smirked at her.

"Fine!" Haven kissed her hand and then smacked him gently across the face with it. "That's all you're getting right now." Earnest sat up, grinning, still glomping onto the annoyed girl. Haven sighed and relaxed. "The things I do for the people I love," she muttered before smiling at the boy around her.

"Well, I'll just leave you two to your alone time," Nagisa said bitterly as he left the room. Haven went pink and Earnest laughed.

* * *

Left Brain: I took the liberty of translating some of the Chinese into what the conversation should feel like rather than its literal translation.

Right Brain: (Holds head) I can't even begin to image how you pronounce that. ~

Left Brain: Well, it goes a little like…

Right Brain: PLEASE DON'T! (OAO) Oh, the hu-manatee!

Nagisa: Are Haven and Earnest still not back? It's getting late.

Fia: (Sweat-dropping) Well, they're back, but it seems like Haven won't be joining us in the comment box today… Apparently, Earnest and I have managed to throw in enough puns in one chapter that she's boycotting us…

Earnest: Well, I protest!

Left Brain: A message from Haven: 'Please say this after the tenth comment: This is cruel and unusual 'pun'-ishment.'

Karma: (Laughing) Does it strike anyone else that Haven knew Earnest would make a joke within ten comments?

Fia: Well, they are super close…

Left Brain: I'm dying here! Stupid heart burn… and stupid short vacations!

Right Brain: Why does spring break have to end so soon…? (T/^/T)


	31. Chapter 31: Fling Time

Narrator: Whoops, I forgot to do a chapter preview last time… (Sweatdrops) But you're here now, so thanks for reading.

* * *

That Wednesday afternoon, Fia, Nagisa, and Karma all found themselves staring at Haven and Earnest. They were supposed to be watching a television documentary on the Amazon Rainforest, but Earnest and Haven were going at it as usual. Earnest slid through the tunnels of his couch pillow fort and launched himself over the group. Haven, growling, chased after Earnest and ran around the trio.

"Earnest!" Haven sighed and came to a stop. When she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, she found herself being tackle-hugged by Earnest. "Earnest!"

He laughed and affectionately ruffled her hair, earning a disdainful smile from her.

Karma sweat-dropped but smirked. "You two are awfully chummy. Is there something you aren't telling us?"

Nagisa sighed heavily and sourly looked away from the white-haired girl as he scribbled half-heartedly in his notebook.

"What do you mean?" Haven asked as she jabbed Earnest in his side, effectively removing him from clinging to her.

"Well, I was just going to say that you're closer than friends normally would be, and you did refer to him as a 'friend.' Judging by your facial expression, I take you it you aren't understanding what I'm getting at." Karma sighed. "You really are dense."

Sighing, Fia decided to explain. "The way you act sometimes makes it seem like you guys could be… a couple."

"Wait, you thought we were a couple!" Haven looked at her friends in shock. "I think of him like a BROTHER, and we're actually first cousins! "

"Well what about that whole exercise thing?" Nagisa asked tentatively.

"We were sparring!" Haven exclaimed. "It's something we've been doing since Earnest started martial arts. I don't know why he wiggled his eyebrows though."

"Well, technically, in all states marrying a cousin is legal if they're distantly enough related. Several states even allow direct cousins to get married," Earnest pointed out.

"As if I'd want to marry you," Haven face-palmed.

"Well, we're usually a 'marry' couple," Earnest smiled.

"That was bad, even for your standards," Haven jabbed him in the side, causing him to jump.

"They certainly bicker like a married couple," Karma smirked and dodged a TV remote flying at him, courtesy of Haven.

"Apparently, Haven didn't find that even 'remotely' funny," Earnest noted with a grin.

Nagisa sighed in relief to himself and smiled wryly at Fia. "You don't seem surprised… Did you know?"

Fia sweat-dropped. "No, well, kind of. I didn't know how they were related, but after remembering about our camp experiences, I didn't think they were dating," she explained quickly. "Besides, I totally understand the sentiment…"

"You do?" Nagisa asked curiously.

"Well, my brother was five years older than me, so we only ever got to go to the same school when we were elementary school age. That's besides the point, but kids teased us because we seemed like we were dating and were 'sharing cooties.'" Fia smiled bittersweetly. "Then again, I did ask him to marry me when I was little. I had no idea what it meant. To me, I just thought marriage meant that you'd get to be at someone's side forever, and I fell in love with that idea."

"So that's what you meant…" Nagisa sweat-dropped. "It wasn't exactly a proposal, but you did kind of say you were willing to marry Karma during that period of age regression."

Fia's jaw fell slack and her cheeks flushed. "N-No way! R-Really?!"

* * *

Hearing her phone ring, Fia hit the answer button on her screen and brought her cell phone to her ear. "Hello? This is Fia speaking… Oh, hi, Fee'cia. No, I'm not busy, but Nagisa is napping here. I don't want to wake him up, so give me a second." Fia slipped her phone into her jacket pocket and draped a blanket over the boy's sleeping figure on the couch.

She slipped out and into the hall. Bringing her phone to her ear, Fia answered again. "Alright, I'm back."

"Okay. So, sis, I heard you've increased the intensity of your training with Irina and Tadaomi," Felicia said casually.

Fia laughed. "I'm guessing you heard how I got my ass handed to me when I refused to let Ms. Jelavic show me her special technique. The bruising still hasn't gone away," she sighed.

"It's a pretty helpful technique," Felicia explained, "I can now assemble and dissemble model figures in about a minute."

The younger sister pouted. "I'm still between two and three minutes! How did you get so good!?"

"You really want to know?" Her smirk was almost physically manifested through her voice.

" _C-Cazzo_ , no. Never mind that… Is experience really the only way I'm going to learn?" Fia mumbled with pink cheeks.

Felicia, pausing to think, hummed. "Well, it's probably the best way to go about it. At least, you should see these techniques in action, otherwise you'll never know how to execute them. I know!" Fia heard a quick snap from her sister's end. "Why don't I take you on a couple of my missions. I know it's dangerous, but you need some experience."

"You're right… Alright, that sounds like a plan. Is that all you called for?" Fia asked.

She heard a loud whine. "What? I can't just call to check in on my adorable little sister?"

"Now you sound like Ms. Jelavic. Cut it out," Fia protested.

Felicia scoffed. "Where do you think I got it from? I admit, Irina is more than a little eccentric, but she's talented. To answer your pointed question - which wasn't cute of you at all - I also wanted to know how your planned study abroad trip to Italy was panning out."

"With midterms all this week, I haven't had any time to go home and bring it up to _Mami_. I know you, _sorella_ , what's this about? It's not like you to bring stuff up without a reason."

Sighing, she explained slowly. "I was recently sent on a mission in Naples. I thought I saw someone strangely familiar. After some investigating, I discovered that Uncle Alesso seems to be stirring up some trouble."

Fia sat in silence for a few moments. "Why are you telling me this now?" she asked quietly.

"Because I think you need to see the truth for yourself, _Fiore._ " With that, Felicia cut the line.

Quietly, Fia lowered the phone and let herself back into the apartment. She took her seat again on the couch next to Nagisa. She picked up her portfolio and glanced over at the bluenette, surprised to see a small smile on his face.

"What are you dreaming about…?" she asked with a small smile of her own.

* * *

Nagisa wandered around the old school building until he found his old classroom. Sitting down in the small chair that was attached to his old desk, Nagisa smiled in wonder. He knew he was a college student in the U.S., but if his dreams wanted to take him back to junior high, he would welcome the experience.

"Is someone there?" a soft voice called from just outside the screen door.

"U-Um," Nagisa became flustered, not having expected to run into anyone else.

Suddenly, the door opened and a petite girl with long blue pigtails tied off by large bows entered the classroom. Blue eyes widened. "Oh, hello…" the girl said in Japanese. I wasn't expecting anyone to be here," she admitted.

Nagisa stood and bowed his head. "Hello. I'm Nagisa Shiota," he introduced himself, returning her Japanese with a smile.

Covering her mouth, the girl gasped. "M-My name is Nagisa Shiota too!"

The two stared at each other for a few moments, both carefully inspecting the other's features, remarkably similar to their own. After taking some time to talk a little bit about themselves, there was no denying that they could have been the same person. The Nagisas took a casual stroll down the forested mountainside together in the warm afternoon light.

"Is it safe to assume that you are the male version of myself?" the female Nagisa asked as she skimmed through her notebook. Shyly, she looked up at the male Nagisa. "Is there anything else I can call you? It's strange calling someone else 'Nagisa-kun' too…"

He rubbed the back of his head. "You can c-call me 'Gisa-kun,' I guess…" The bluenette blushed slightly.

Nagisa scribbled in her notebook. "Alright, I think I got it." With her step and pigtails bouncing, she smiled up at Gisa. "I have a question for you. We talked about being in Class 3-E, but what have you done since… Well, Koro-sensei?"

"Let's see, I go to school in America now. I decided to become an assassin with Karma-kun under Karasuma-sensei and Bitch-sensei," he admitted. "I hope to become a teacher like you with time, though."

"B-Bitch-sensei? Do you mean Ivan Jelavic, the professional assassin? He was always so cool, but a huge player." She paused to think. "You're friends with Karma-san? She's very… Interesting. I find it very difficult to get along with her." Nagisa frowned slightly. "Is she any different as a male?"

Gisa sweat-dropped. "No, no he's probably just as… interesting as your Karma. He has his good points though. So your Koro-sensei was female, right?" He extended his hand to help his female counterpart over a particularly large log.

"Right," she smiled. "Koro-sensei was the best teacher I've ever had. I'm sure that much hasn't changed between our worlds."

The two found their way off of the mountain path and walked down the street to a park they were both familiar with. Standing back to back, the Nagisas stared up in awe at the falling cherry blossoms spiraling in the breeze.

"So… beautiful…" they said together. Meeting each other's gazes in shy surprise, they laughed together and made their way to sit on a bench under the biggest sakura tree.

"Is there something on your mind?" Nagisa asked, leaning forward suddenly with big, intently-focused blue eyes. "It's love, isn't it?"

Her male counterpart flinched back as his cheeks turned red and his eyes averted. "How could you tell?"

The female Nagisa sighed as she leaned back and looked up at the sky. She blushed and became more soft-spoken. "Because I'm the same… Let me guess, you have a girl you like, but she's surrounded by more guys than she realizes, and she's completely oblivious to your feelings?"

"Yeah…" Gisa smiled down at his female counterpart and gently patted her head like Koro-sensei might have, minus the tentacles. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Oh, just an upperclassman of mine who's helped me out through this long process. He's supportive and kind… What's she like? The girl you care about?"

"Well, a lot of people don't see it, but she's loyal, focused, and usually fairly thoughtful when it comes to those she cares about," he explained. "I'm not sure how to let someone like her know that I care about her though…"

"Neither do I," she admitted. "I want more than anything for him to notice me and realize how I feel," Nagisa murmured under her breath.

The male Nagisa paused to think for a moment. "I understand. Why not just tell him? It doesn't need to be a fancy confession, just… honest. If he's anything like I think he is, he'll probably hear you out, and that's really the most you can ask for. At least, then he'll know how you feel and you can say that you gave it your all." Two pairs of blue eyes widened.

Nagisa caught a cherry blossom gently between her fingers and placed it in Gisa's hand. "It seems like you've had a revelation." She smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Nagisa. Best of luck to you…"

He looked down at his hand and watched as the wind carried away the peach petals. Turning back towards his counterpart, Nagisa opened his mouth to thank her and wish her the same, but, like the blossom, she was already gone.

Nagisa opened his eyes and sat up with a start. Looking around, he found himself in the dimly lit apartment. He rubbed his eyes and soon heard a soft sigh.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Fia asked, concern written across her face.

The bluenette shook his head quickly. "No, not at all. Thank you for the blanket."

"No problem," she replied cheerfully. "What were you dreaming about? You were smiling…"

"Oh, nothing, just cherry blossoms and of advice I've long needed to tell myself."

* * *

Earnest glomped the four housemates as they walked through the door. "Hey, guys! What took you so long today? You missed the purr-fect opportunity to meet my friends!"

Everyone dead-panned simultaneously as they saw the havoc being wreaked around their apartment.

"Earnest, what did you do?!" Haven demanded.

Grimacing at the cat that had just hacked up a hairball onto his shoes, Karma growled. "Cats?!"

Fia slid to the ground. "Don't get me wrong, I love kittens… But why are there so many?!"

"I lost track after 30…" Nagisa held his head in his hand. "Where are they all coming from?"

Earnest smiled. "Well, I went to the park today and walked around the smaller neighborhoods, and they all kind of just followed me here!

"At least they're not tiger kittens… I don't think Aunt Joy has ever reprimanded us so much," Haven sighed.

Nagisa jumped slightly. "No way?! TIGER kittens?!"

Karma ran to his room to check on his stuff. "DON'T MATE ON MY BED!"

After guiding all the cats out of her room and closing the door securely, Fia moved to check the kitchen. "WHO'S USING THE SINK AS A LITTER BOX?!"

Nagisa sat on the living room floor as he mourned over the shredded remains of one of the books he'd left out that morning. "My books…"

Fia chased after a few cats who were tangled up and running around with her ribbons. "Hey! Please give those back!"

"GET OUT OF MY CLOSET, YOU LITTLE SHITS!" Karma screamed.

The Italian girl sweat-dropped at the battling sounds of hiss and claw versus profanity and fang. "I would look out for cat scat, if I were you…"

"Earnest, I know you like animals, but this is a bit extreme. Could you get rid of them before I break out into hives?" Haven sighed and rubbed her temples.

"But you're not allergic to cats, only guinea pigs," Earnest called from the center of a mound of kittens.

Nagisa flailed and tried to crawl away, but he was firmly weighed down and pinned to the floor by an army of feline menaces. He scrunched up his face as two kittens batted at his face and played with his pigtails. "This is madness!"

Trying to hold Karma back from kicking either Earnest or any of the cats, Fia sweat-dropped. "WHAT DO WE DO?! EARNEST IS LIKE THEIR NATURAL CATNIP!"

"More like their supreme overlord!" Karma spat. "LET ME AT 'EM!"

"If he's the catnip, hopefully I'm the repellant," Haven said as she picked up a mewling kitten.

Karma kicked open the front door, allowing Earnest to lead the parade of cats out.

"My question," Nagisa tried to call out between cats stepping on the back of his head, "Is how did he get them to move in a single-file line?"

The annoyed redhead pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't even want to know."

Fia cradled a kitten to her chest. "Can't we at least keep one…?" she asked meekly.

"I think this one's cute," Haven smiled as she poked the kitten's nose.

Karma picked the two up by the scruff of their necks. "You're kidding, right?" Seeing the pairs of verdant green and azure eyes staring hugely up at him, Karma sighed. "Fine, whatever."

"Yay!" Fia gently handed the siamese cat to Haven and threw her arms around the taller male. "Thank you, Karma!"

He blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, sure, just let go, will you?"

"It's definitely a stray," Haven noted, "You're just a bag of bones."

Fia released him with a smile and ran into the kitchen. "I'll get the pretty kitty some food and water." Humming, she flitted about the kitchen and set down a pair of bowls with paw print patterns. "I was going to give these to Earnest, but I think he'd want the cutie pie to have these more~."

Haven lifted the kitten and inspected its underside. "It's a girl," she reported before setting the kitten on the floor near the food dishes.

Smiling, Nagisa approached his housemates and crouched down near the kitten. "She is cute, isn't she? What should we call her?"

Karma leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "I don't mean to burst your happy bubbles, but -" He gestured at the destruction strewn about the apartment. "Not to mention cat food, shots, spaying, and whatever the hell else that cat's going to need."

"Oh, Earnest will clean it up. He always does," Haven replied. "As for shots, I'm sure Earnest can refer someone."

"Speaking of Earnest, I'm going to make sure he returned all of the cats alright… We don't want him bringing home a hoard of raccoons next, you know?" Squealing in excitement, Fia pulled on her jacket and quickly bounded out the front door.

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "I know Fia is pretty responsible, but won't she just get caught up playing with the animals too?"

* * *

Fia and Earnest fell through the front door together late that evening.

"Say it again!" She pleaded between laughs. "Please?!"

"CRIKEY!" Earnest shouted, eliciting another giggle from his female counterpart.

Fia smiled from her housemates to Earnest. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Irwin, the animal hunter!"

Sauntering up to his cousin, Earnest gasped. In his best Australian accent, Earnest declared "I've spotted a wild Haven! We must be especially careful; we're in Haven territory now! Note it's naturally pristine appearance and surly expression - that's a good sign that she's ready to pounce on her prey!" He used his fingers and pretended to be filming this entire encounter. "I think I've made her angry! I'll poke her with a stick!" Earnest poked Haven's cheek.

"EARNEST!" Haven began chasing her cousin around the room, trying to poke him in the side.

"It's Irwin! Oh! I've made her angry now! Females of this species are highly volatile and have a signature move for the TAKE-DOWN! It's called the Lee side-jab and its high velocity can pierce even the toughest of armor! This isn't for the weak-hearted, ladies and gents!" Earnest slid to a stop next to Nagisa and the kitten in his lap. "Now, here we have the docile pigtailia. Note the cute double pair of fluffy ears that makes this species great listeners!"

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "P-Pigtailia…?"

Dodging a jab from Haven, Earnest continued. "Yes! You're of the same tribe as this lovely specimen here!" He threw his arm around the pigtailed Italian's shoulders. "A domestic breed, quite proficient at caregiving and looking particularly feminine! A defense and attack strategy beyond compare."

Fia blushed. "L-Lovely…?"

"And there -" Earnest pointed at Karma. "Is a red, fanged manticore!"

"Not this shit again. I'm done here!" With that, Karma walked back to his room.

Earnest feigned an exasperated sigh. "We just witnessed a rare sighting, indeed! It's not everyday we get to see the manticore's fleeing ritual!"

"What did you just say?!" Karma growled as he turned around and bared his teeth.

"And now, the furious Haven takes her revenge," Haven said in monotone as she gave her cousin a noogie.

"AAAHHH! The wild Haven's kill move! Blimey, I'm in for it now!" He scrunched up his face but laughed obnoxiously.

"I swear, how did we survive childhood?" Haven sighed and released her laughing cousin.

Fia took a seat next to Nagisa and gently ran her hand through the kitten's silver fur. "She really seems to have taken to you, Nagisa. Have you thought up a name for her?"

Nagisa affectionately held the kitten to his face and smiled softly. "Wysteria."

"That is a cute name!" She gasped and gently shook the kitten's paw. "It's nice to meet you~."

* * *

Fia stretched in front of her mirror. "Last day before break, here I come! Ready for your midterms, Angel?" She smiled over at her roommate.

"Uh-huh," Haven nodded her head, distracted.

"Is everything okay?" Fia asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about what I'm going to wear to the dance. I doubt I have anything appropriate…" Haven replied.

Fia hummed. "Well, I already have my dress, but do you want me to take you shopping later this afternoon?"

"Sure… I'm worried about leaving Earnest alone for that long though… I'm also worried about getting a tux for him," Haven said.

"Would you be alright borrowing some of my sibling's clothes? I'm sure one of my brother's suits would fit Irwin. It's… not like Felix needs it anymore." Fia sweat-dropped. "Besides, you're about Mia's size."

"I think I'll drag Earnest to the thrift shop for my dress," Haven replied. "I'm not sure Mia's style suits me. But Earnest could definitely wear Felix's tux. …Did you just call him Irwin?"

Fia giggled. "That works; I'll have _Papino_ drop it off later. I think it's really sweet that you're going to the dance to give Irwin the full college experience. Anyway, I'm going to head out first," she said as she pulled her favorite green military jacket over a white sweater. Fia exited their room and waved to the boys sitting at the kitchen table.

"Good morning!" Nagisa called.

"Good morning~" Fia replied cheerfully as she hugged Earnest from behind. "Do you really have to go tomorrow?" She pouted. "Can't we keep you?" Fia rested her head on his and held him like she might a stray puppy.

"Sure, we can. But if he stays, neither of you can make another pun," Haven smirked as she came into the kitchen.

Both Earnest and Fia sweat-dropped, knowing full-well that neither would be able to keep that condition for more than an hour or two if they were in the same room. Sighing, Fia released her grip on the younger boy.

"Alright, but, Irwin, we have to hang out sometime! You promised to tell me which shelter you volunteer at!" She giggled and moved to serve herself some cereal.

"I thought you were going to Thailand or Indonesia to help with elephants," Haven interjected. "Or was it China to work at a panda rescue…?"

"All three," Earnest laughed, "but that isn't until this summer so we have some time. You're going to love the rabbits, Fia! I'll hop to it and see that you get the forms." He smiled goofily.

"Darn," Haven snapped her fingers. "I have to put up with you for another month." She ignored a smug grin from her cousin.

"I only have a month more with Irwin…" Fia sighed. "That's no fun. We just got to rekindle our friendship!"

Karma rolled his eyes at the ongoing exchanges. "You're all getting nice and chummy, aren't you?"

Haven stared daggers at the redhead, "Are you trying to imply something, Akabane?"

"No, not at all," he replied coldly as he got to his feet and went to grab his bag.

"Rebecca told me you're going to the dance with some fling," Haven called to him. "Is it anyone we know?"

Nagisa gave his housemate the 'Please, don't provoke him look,' which was adeptly ignored… As usual.

"It's none of your damned business," Karma spat. Haven quirked an eyebrow.

Fia stood between her housemates with a wry smile. "Why don't we just finish up breakfast and head to class? We all have midterms today!" She tried to wear a positive energy and laughed nervously as her housemates all sighed.

* * *

"This is in-tents!" Earnest cheered as he saw the tents and decorative lights strewn about the grassy quad. "This is the Spring Fling?! I could 'fling' myself into that action!" Shining eyes looked from the live bands to the colorful banners and balloons to the tall plates of food to the masses of dancing college students.

"I'm going to smack you if you make another pun," Haven growled at her cousin.

Fia ran up to her friends. "S-Sorry I'm late!" She said between gasps. "You look so very pretty!"

"Why, thank you!" Earnest flipped his tousled dark bangs. Haven face-palmed.

The Italian laughed. "You look very handsome too, Earnest. I'm surprised that you picked out such a cute dress, Angel!"

Haven blushed slightly. "It's the only thing they had in my size," she admitted as she twirled. She looked like a lolita doll in her strapless black tulle dress. The bodice was covered in black ruffles and the knee length skirt comprised of three layers that were trimmed in pink ribbon, each a bit shorter than the one behind it.

"Well, I think it suits you, Angel." Fia smiled. "Try to have fun today, okay?"

"Especially the tennies," Earnest noted. "At least they match the color scheme."

"Tennies?" She followed Earnest's line of sight down to Haven's feet. "You're wearing tennis shoes?"

"What?" Haven asked, looking down at her feet. She was wearing black tennis shoes with pink laces. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," Fia laughed. "If I could have gotten past my parents with flats or wedges, I would have worn those instead of these death traps." Fia raised the body of her floor-length, green silk gown to reveal strappy stilettos. Her dress was sleeveless but a light, floral lace rested from the wide neckline to the bodice's low, sweetheart cut. The skirt billowed with Fia's every move under the sash tied securely behind the small of her back. Gingerly, Fia brushed some of her neatly curled locks off of her shoulder and twirled her half-up ponytail around a finger. "Anyway, we should probably find Nagisa. Do you know where he is?"

"You guys looking for me?" a voice came from behind them.

The girls, plus Earnest, turned to see Kavi approaching them in a black tuxedo.

"Wow, Haven, you look great!" Kavi's cheeks darkened.

"Thanks," Haven replied, blushing under Kavi's intense gaze.

"Oh," he snapped out of his daze, "I was meaning to ask if you wanted to dance."

"Sure," Haven smiled at him.

Fia and Earnest waved as Kavi and Haven disappeared onto the dancefloor of sorts. Exchanging glances, they made their way to the snack table and began picking at the desserts.

"You don't want to dance?" The excitable boy asked as his eyes ravaged the snack table.

The girl laughed dryly. "I can't dance, not really aside from traditional dancing anyway."

"Dancing is a cake-walk," Earnest mused, scooping some desserts onto a plate. "It's easy as pie!" He set down the plate and picked up the entire tray for himself.

"Speak for yourself," Fia giggled as she poured punch for the both of them. Looking up, she saw their neighbor approaching them with a grin. "Hi, Rebecca! You look great!"

"Thanks!" The girl smiled. Leaning forward across the table towards Fia. "Have you guys seen Karma's date?! She's a real hot, bombshell."

Fia gingerly sipped at her drink and suppressed the red rising to her cheeks. "No, I haven't," she mumbled.

Rebecca gasped. "Don't tell me you have the hots for him!"

Slamming her drink down, Fia stomped her foot as color exploded across her face. "I-I-I D-DO N-N-NOT!"

Her neighbor smiled mischievously. "Okay, okay. If you say so." Putting her hands up in defense, she turned towards the boy stuffing his face with cookies. "Who's that? Your date?"

Fia shook her head before gingerly grabbing onto Earnest's arm. "This is Haven's cousin Earnest." Gesturing between them, she introduced the pair. "Earnest, this is our neighbor and friend, Rebecca."

"Nice to meet'cha!" The boy grinned and wiped the crumbs from around his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"Nice to meet you too! Wow, Haven sure does have cute cousins, doesn't she?" Rebecca smiled.

"Our family is rather large. Some of us had to get the good looks," Earnest winked.

Fia glanced between the two and she gently pushed Earnest a step towards Rebecca. "Why don't you show them those awesome dance moves of yours?" She suggested.

"Sure!" He grabbed Rebecca's hand and pulled her towards the dance floor.

Instantaneously, Fia was glad she hadn't gone to dance with Earnest. His wild, outgoing moves were a little much for her to handle, but it seemed like Rebecca and her housemates were all having a blast cheering on his 'dance moves.' Sipping at her punch, Fia had to wonder if his dance moves were a reflection of the animals he spent so much time around or of his desire to thrive in nature, free. Was that supposed to imitate an octopus or a bear? She wasn't really sure…

"Two drinks and only one pretty girl?" Nagisa laughed as he took one of the punch glasses from Fia's hand and leaned against the table next to her.

"Nagisa!" Fia smiled embarrassedly. "I heard your exam ran late - I'm glad you could make it! That tuxedo looks great on you and I really like the ponytail."

The bluenette blushed slightly. "Thanks. Where are Haven and Earnest -" Nagisa cut himself off as he spotted the boy krumping to the music. He sweat-dropped. "Well, that explains that." Seeing a flash of white and black, Nagisa spotted Haven and Kavi dancing towards the outskirts of the dance floor. His shoulders visibly fell as he saw Haven laughing to, presumably, one of Kavi's jokes.

"They make a nice couple," Nagisa noted bitterly.

"Sure they do," a voice said snappily, "but you don't think you'd make a better one? I mean he's kind of a giant and she's kind of a midget."

"Should you leave your date on her own, Karma?" Nagisa sighed. "I've heard she's quite the looker."

Karma sighed as he poured punch. "Let me guess, Rebecca told you? I'm just getting her something to drink." He shot Fia a look. "You're not here with Earnest?"

She shook her head quickly. "No, not really…" Fia mumbled dejectedly as she took notice of a beautiful woman standing just a little ways away, watching Karma expectantly. Blushing slightly, she shot Karma a look. "It really is rude to leave a girl alone though. You should get back to her," she scowled. "She's waiting for you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I just needed to smack some sense into this guy," Karma shrugged as he clapped Nagisa upside the head.

"Ow! Okay, okay, I get it," Nagisa rubbed the back of his head and shot Karma a glare.

"Oi! Being a brute isn't the answer," Haven told Karma off as she approached her three housemates.

Fia sweat-dropped. "Well, now it's a party…" she said. "Looks like we're all here."

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Akabane. You shouldn't leave your date waiting," Haven advised cooly.

"Yeah, I got it already!" Karma sighed and walked back to hand his date a drink. She brought the glass to her lips and smiled before sliding his arm around her waist.

Haven shook her head at the pair and crossed her arms, "He's clueless."

Pushing herself to her feet, Fia stood and brushed herself off. "W-Well, I'm going to… Um, l-listen to the band, yeah."

Haven stared at her friend with an unamused expression, "You're a horrible liar."

Fia sighed softly. "You caught me. I'm going to walk around a little bit," she waved with a wry smile and shot Nagisa a reassuring smile before turning and heading off into the crowd.

A few moments later, Kavi walked over to where Nagisa and Haven stood. He nodded to Nagisa before turning to Haven.

"I'll see you around, Haven," he smiled and turned to go.

"Are you leaving already?" Haven asked.

"Nah, but there are some other people I want to meet up with tonight," he called back at her.

"And now, a slow dance for all you romantics," the band leader called from a platform at the other end of the tents.

"Haven, shall we dance?" Nagisa smiled at her. She nodded and let herself be led into the dancing crowd.

"I will warn you before hand that I don't know how to dance," Nagisa smiled.

"Don't worry. I can teach you," Haven smiled back and took Nagisa's left hand in her right one. She placed his other hand on her back before placing her own on his right shoulder. "Now, step forward on your left foot," Haven began instructing him on how to waltz.

* * *

Haven had been right, waltzing was easy once you got the hang of it. The two of them had passed Karma and his date several times. Each time, Karma had given Nagisa a look that clearly read 'grow a pair'. After the most recent pass, Nagisa gathered his courage and looked Haven in the eyes.

"I know we haven't known each other long, but…" Nagisa blushed. "I seem to have fallen for you." Haven looked away.

"I don't think I understand what you are talking about," Haven's face turned slightly pink.

"I'm in love with you," Nagisa's blush deepened. Haven looked down, a ball of worry formed in Nagisa's heart as the music ended. "I understand if you don't feel the same way." After a few moments, Nagisa added, "I just needed to tell you."

* * *

Kavi sighed and put his hands in his pockets as he watched Haven and Nagisa dance. Judging by Haven's embarrassed smile and Nagisa's shining, gleeful eyes, he figured that they'd gotten together. As much as it hurt, he was happy for her. Not one to let things keep him down, he decided to head back onto the dance floor for now.

Maneuvering around swaying bodies, Fia found herself in the heart of the dance floor, surrounded by slow dancing couples. She smiled as she spotted Earnest alternating slow-dancing, albeit a little awkwardly, with Rebecca and all of her friends.

As she avoided another couple, she almost ran into Karma and his date. Feeling a pang of pain through her heart just as the song ended, Fia turned on her heel and ran against the crowd of cheering people. She found herself being caught.

"Hey, Fia, what's wrong?" a deep voice asked with concern.

The panting girl looked up to find dark eyes staring down at her. "Kavi…"

* * *

The solemn pair of singles sat on a bench just down the paved path, from where they could watch the entirety of the Spring Fling unfold.

Fia shifted awkwardly and stole a glance at her laidback companion as he leaned back against the bench casually.

"I know that I have a handsome face, but do you have to stare?" Kavi teased.

Blushing, Fia looked away. "U-Um, so you wanted to talk…?"

"Yeah, something like that," he replied as he leaned forward. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You looked like you were going to cry back there. What happened?"

Fia sighed softly. "I-It's nothing you need to worry about." Olive eyes searched the crowd of dancing students until they found vibrant red. Shutting her eyes tightly, Fia shook her head furiously and clenched her fists in her lap. She felt two warm drops hit the back of her hands.

"Hey, don't cry," Kavi smiled and reassuringly rubbed the girl's back. "You can talk to me, you know. I tell a lot of jokes, but I'm not a bad listener."

Through blurry eyes, Fia found Kavi's smile and returned it. "I… Think I'm in love," she admitted slowly.

"Shouldn't that make you happy?" he asked with concern.

Fia wrung her hands together. "It does. It really does make me happy, but I might have found out a little late… He's got a beautiful girl at his side tonight."

"So do I," Kavi laughed. "She might not be girl I'm in love with - she's leaving with someone else tonight - but I'd like to dance with her nonetheless. If she'd be willing to dance with me, tonight might not end up being a total loss for either of us."

Giggling quietly, Fia took Kavi's extended hand and they made their way down the hill to the dancefloor. Looking up the clouds rolling across the otherwise starry sky, Fia smiled to herself. Ms. Jelavic could teach her how to change everything about herself, but she would never be able to change the fact that Fia just couldn't lie. Fia didn't think she wanted the ability, at least not when she whispered "I love Karma" and let her words be snatched away by the wind.

"Did you say something?" Kavi asked over the blaring pop music.

Fia shook her head with a smile. "Just something that I needed to tell myself! I'm going to warn you now, though, I'm not quite sure how to dance! Something about just feeling the music?!" She yelled back over the booming speakers.

Kavi grinned as he spun his friend. "That's about the gist of it! Don't worry, I'll show you how!"

* * *

Fia: (Blushes) So, you two finally are going out?

Haven and Nagisa: (Exchanging embarrassed glances)

Earnest: Haven's got a boyfriend~! Haven's got a boyfriend~! (Tosses Haven a fruit)

Haven: Earnest, what is this?

Earnest: I'm a mystical fortune teller, and this is what I see in your future!

Nagisa: Is that… a date? (Sweat-drops)

Haven: EARNEST! That's it! Go home to Aunt Joy!

Earnest: Aww, but Haven! (Clings to Fia) DON'T LET HER TAKE ME!

Fia: (Sweat-drops) Sorry, Irwin, but you know the condition for your staying here and someone already commented that there were almost too many puns in the last chapter…

Earnest: (As Haven drags him off into the distance) This is cruel and unusual pun-ishment!

Right Brain: Speaking of commenters, a little shout out to poppykiller for leaving fifteen reviews! It means a lot to us! ^-^ 3

Nagisa: Fia, what did you end up doing for the rest of the dance?

Fia: Oh, you know, I just hung out with a friend… Do you know where Karma is?

Nagisa: (Points to locked bedroom door) Someone is still enjoying his spring fling, if you know what I mean. Mind if I hang out in your room for awhile?

Fia: (Blushing at the door) They're… loud… N-Not at all, Nagisa!

Haven: (Returns, dusting off her hands) Well, that takes care of that for now.

Narrator: If there are any forms of torture… I mean scenarios, you'd like to see the gang in, please leave it in the comments or give me a pm. I may decide to incorporate your suggestions!

Nagisa, Fia, and Haven: WHAT?!

Narrator: If you want to hear more about the secondary characters, please comment or pm that too! Maybe I'll post some spin-off stories about them as well!

All: WHAT?!

Narrator: Now for the preview… what do you mean I don't have one! (picks up sheet of paper) It's blank… (sarcastically) Very helpful.

Left Brain: It's going to be a surprise.


	32. Chapter 32: Unexpected Time

Haven sighed loudly as Karma walked through the front door with a girl next to him. "Just don't be so loud this time." She glared at him.

Fia choked on her food as she stared at her roommate in dismay. Coughing, she managed to wheeze out, "You're going to scare this one away too!" Haven smirked and shot Fia a glance that read 'mission accomplished'. Blushing a dark shade of red and shaking her head, Fia covered her face with her hands. "Oh, Angel…"

"What, Tsu-chan?" she asked innocently. "I'm naive about this kind of thing. Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

The girl blushed even more. "Angel… I-I'm beginning to think you're a lot more devilish than I previously gave you credit for…" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she stole a dejected glance at the glamorous girl on Karma's arm.

Karma shot Haven a nasty glare and turned back towards the girl he'd walked in with, wearing an awkward smile. Rubbing the back of his neck, he gestured towards his room. "You want to go some place quieter? We can hang out in my room."

"Quiet? Not for long," Haven muttered just loudly enough as she nonchalantly went back to typing on her computer. Fia began choking again in the background.

As Karma and the girl disappeared into his bedroom, Nagisa emerged, holding a few books in his arms and holding in a big sigh. The bluenette sat down at the kitchen table with a soft smile as he caught Haven's gaze. "Good evening."

Closing her computer, Haven blushed slightly. "Good evening, Gisa…"

"H-Hello," Fia mumbled with a faint blush, glancing between the two. Haven immediately went three shades pinker, but Fia waved her hand dismissively to show the new couple that she didn't mind. "So, do you two have any plans? It's the first weekend of spring break," she reminded them.

"Well…" Haven began hesitantly. "I think Karasuma wanted to see me for training and we…" Haven blushed, "We were planning on… dates."

Nagisa blushed happily. "I didn't have much in mind other than…" His eyes found Haven's and quickly looked away.

Trying to break the awkward atmosphere, Fia clapped her hands together. "Well, between being with Ms. Jelavic and Felicia and going home, I think I'll be fairly busy for all of break. I'll ask Karma to stock up on some food and do the cooking once he's come out and finished with… W-Well, you know."

"I'm not sure I want those hands preparing food…" Haven cringed. "He might slip some mustard in…"

Fia sighed in relief, having thought that her best friend was going to say something much, much worse. She sweat-dropped. "He knows that you're allergic to it. I doubt he'd go that far," she explained with a reassuring smile.

"He likes the stuff too much. What if it's on his hands and accidentally gets in the food?" Haven frowned.

Nagisa patted her back encouragingly. "He only likes to prank people with it, but I'll help him out in the kitchen and make sure he doesn't poison anything, okay?"

"Thanks, Gisa," Haven leaned into him.

Smiling embarrassedly, Fia excused herself from the table and went to pack her bags for the long week.

Suddenly, Haven's computer beeped loudly. She opened the laptop to find Wally standing there, holding a manilla envelope.

"If you don't fulfill these demands, I'll run away!" Wally protested weakly as he bowed and 'handed' Haven the documents which opened into a new window. Haven scanned the page.

Nagisa smiled wryly at the blue-haired A.I. "Is this your way of having a rebellious phase?"

"Let's see… lower pitched voice banks, more mature mod… Basically, you want to go through puberty… Why?" Haven asked. "I mean, most people like that stage of their life least… and what's this about a Norwegian voice bank? I can understand the Japanese one, but why do you need a Norwegian one?" Wally just blushed.

* * *

" _Capisce? (Understand?)_ " Felicia called from just inside her apartment's bathroom. Washing the blood from her body in the sink and talking to her sister through the slightly ajar door, the older Timo sister found herself walking her younger sister through her most recent assassination.

Fia sat on the floor of the dark hallway and flinched as the bathroom door swung open and the light pierced her eyes. Holding her hand protectively in front of her face, Fia pouted. "That was really cheesy."

"What? The capisce? I know it's a stereotype, but I needed to make sure you were listening, _idiota (idiot)_." Holding the towel clinging to her body with one hand and running her hand through wild wet hair with the other, the curvy woman leaned against the wooden doorframe. "You get why I said what I said to that man? I don't know how well you could hear me through the body camera."

"To get him to lower his guard?" Fia questioned.

Felicia lightly dropped the heel of her foot on her sister's head. "You're right, and you know that, so try to sound more confident."

" _Cazzo! (Fuck!)_ " Teary-eyed, Fia rubbed her head. "That hurt, meanie!"

Grinning, Felicia bent over to pinch Fia's puffy cheeks. "In some ways, you never do grow up."

Fia laughed lightly as water dripped onto her face. "I could say the same to you!" After a moment of pause, she sighed quietly. "You're very pretty, _sorella (sister)_."

"Hah?" Felicia ran her hand through her hair, glowing almost golden, water drops shining like iridescent pearls, against the backlight of the bathroom. " _Dio (God)_ , what would make you say that all of a sudden?"

The younger girl blushed and looked away. "I-I was just wishing I could l-look as pretty as -"

"Don't even. You are beautiful, if for no other reason that you've got the strongest heart of all of us. _Merda (Shit)_ , Fia, now you've up and made me feel guilty about leaving." In her frustration, Felicia sat heavily down on the floor in a crossed-legged position. She rested her chin in her palm, her elbow on her knee. "How did you have the patience to stay?"

Blushing, Fia covered her eyes with her hands. "Do you have to sit like that?!"

" _Che? (What?)_ I'm wearing underwear…" Felicia smirked.

"LINGERIE CAN HARDLY BE CONSIDERED DECENT COVERAGE!" Fia yelled accusingly.

Felicia tucked her legs under her body and held her hands in front of her chest to accentuate her breasts. Conjuring a blush and a falsely-innocent expression as she batted her long lashes, Felicia brought a finger to her pink lips. "Whatever do you mean? You're not angry with me, are you? I just wanted to please you…"

"SAVE THOSE TRICKS FOR YOUR TARGETS!" she cried as she covered her face again. Peeking through her fingers, Fia mumbled, "b-but do teach me h-how to do that, _por favore… (please…)_ "

"Why? Is there a certain guy who're trying to seduce?" A smug grin found its way to Felicia's face as she teased her younger companion.

The girl's face turned scarlet. "WHAT?! W-Why would y-you s-say something l-like that!?" she demanded as she covered her eyes again and furiously shook her head. "I-I'm n-not ready for th-that kind of thing!"

"All in good time, sweet _sorellina~ (little sis'~)_ " Felicia relaxed into a more natural sitting position and leaned against the wall. "But why is beauty on your mind? You're self-conscious and shy, sure, but I've never once heard you compare yourself to others."

Fia's cheeks burned a cherry red as her gaze dropped to the floor. "W-Well, you were gone through most of my teenage years, Felicia… Everything has changed a lot since then. The twins were sent off to boarding school on bad behavior -"

"Understatement of the century," Felicia scoffed.

"- Gio and Lupe have become adamant about becoming independent as soon as they can - but both still cling to _Mami e Papino_ _(Mom and Daddy)_ more than they should, and our parents have become very weary."

"Are you trying to say that I shouldn't have left?" Felicia snapped with a sour expression.

Round eyes widened. "No! Not at all!" Fia protested as much as she could. "I just think that… You should come home sometime… You've missed such a big part of the kids' lives. And, especially since I can't stay here forever… They - They need someone there to support them, and I think you're what they need to fill the hole Felix left behind…" Fia freed her thoughts slowly, but the words still hung in the air like a scream in the night.

Felicia pursed her lips, a stubborn expression gracing her face. "You can't make me go back -" she began, but, with a moment more of thought and a sigh, she continued, "but I'll think about it for your, and the kids', sake. _Bene? (Good/Okay?)_ "

Fia nodded with a slight smile. " _Si,_ _grazie, Sorella_. _(Yes, thank you, sister)._ "

"Yeah, whatever, but you have to answer something for me in return." She smirked.

"Huh?" Auburn eyebrows furrowed in apprehensive concern. " _Che? (What?)_ "

The older sister inspected her nails with a false sense of casualness. "I don't believe you when you say that you've been concerned about how beautiful you've looked over the past couple of years. I know you went through that whole phase of not wanting to be noticed and wearing really conservative clothes, blah-blah-blah, but this is really fucking different. So, what's up?"

"There's someone that I like very much… I love him, I think I'm in love with him, but his type is the pretty type, the beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous types with model bodies who have the world at her fingertips… He brings them home and I…" She lost what was left of her strangled voice, drowning in her own thoughts and emotions.

Gently, a hand touched her cheek and guided her into a warm embrace. Hiding her face, contorted by the joyous and desperate emotions waging a civil war in her heart, Fia began to sob like a child. As complexity and frustration chipped away at her spirit, her honesty streamed down her face in salty ravenes.

"Shh… _Andrà bene_ , _sorellina… (It will be fine, sister…)_ Why don't you rest here for the night? I'll call your roommate and let her know you aren't feeling well. _Tacere, calmare,_ I understand… (Hush, calm, I understand…)"

Overtaken by exhaustion, Fia nodded slowly and heavily shut bleary, weary eyes.

" _Delinquente dannati…_ _(Damned delinquent…)_ "

* * *

Nestling into a warm chest, the Italian girl smiled drowsily. Whoever was holding her had a heartbeat that danced steadily in tandem with hers. Wait… Holding her…? Two pairs of peridot eyes fluttered open and met under the haze of the early afternoon sun.

Pink exploded across Fia's cheeks as she sat up quickly and backed away from the stranger. Feeling a breeze, she realized that she was wearing a floral skirt under her white blouse and green military jacket. Fia blushed a darker shade and pulled the skirt down just as the other boy sat up and ran his hand through his tousled, pink-auburn hair. He wore a white, collared, button-up shirt over a green undershirt and white washed jeans. Fia was about to comment on his missing jacket in this semi-chilly weather when she realized it was draped across her shoulders.

The boy smiled, one of those lopsided smiles that are just the right mix between bashful and goofily charming. " _Scusa (Sorry)_ , I didn't mean to scare you. I saw you sleeping here; It gets a little chilly this time of year, so I got worried about you. I must have fallen asleep," he laughed embarrassedly and averted his eyes.

Fia gently pulled the coat off of her shoulders and handed it to the other boy with a shy smile. " _Grazie, Parli Italiano? (Thank you, Do you speak Italian?)"_

The taller male grinned. " _Si, bella~! (Yes, beautiful~!)"_ After quickly donning his jacket, he, eyes glittering, moved to gently place a kiss on either of Fia's cheeks. "It's been so long since I've met someone I can converse naturally with! _Come ti chiami? (What's your name?) Mi chiamo Fino,_ or Fiammetta _(My name is Fino, or Fiammetta)_. But, _por favore (please),_ just call me Fino."

"Fiammetta," Fia answered in return as she beamed happily despite her flushing cheeks. " _Mi chiamo Fia,_ or Fiammetta (My name is Fia, or Fiammetta), but, _por favore (please),_ just call me Fia." Giggling, she kissed her newest friend on both of his cheeks, much to his flutered embarrassment. "Hehe, it's not every day you get to meet yourself… _Piacere! (Nice to meet you!)_ Although, you don't seem nearly as sh-shy as me… Do you know where we are?"

The boy called 'Fino' glanced around at their surroundings. The pair was sitting in a grassy courtyard to a large university where a bell tower clock was striking twelve. "This is where I go to school," he explained quickly. "I'm not sure how you ended up here, but do make yourself at home. You can rely on me for anything," he promised as he pushed a pair of thick-rimmed, forest green glasses up his nose and tucked a stray lock of wavy hair behind pierced ears.

Subconsciously, Fia's hand moved to her hair, mimicking his action. Although surprised that his glasses looked identical to hers, other than in color, she noticed that he had only one pierced ear instead of both like she had. Fia nodded in thanks and tucked her knees into her chest. "Anything…?" Smiling at his immediate and earnest nod, Fia decided to open her heart to him.

Fino leaned back and tilted his face upwards towards the vast expanse of sky. "No, I never had a speech impediment, but I didn't exactly fit in either. My hair was a lot longer and pinker back in middle school, so, with this face, people called me a girl. I don't think it's an insult to be called a 'girl,' but it made making friends really difficult." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and kissed his dagger phone charm before turning it on to show Fia some photos of his family, all genderbent versions of her own family.

"I'm lucky to have had Feliciana, my eldest sister. She's the real maternal figure in our household. _Mami_ is a loose cannon and _Papi_ is fairly stern with us, especially when it comes to keeping the house together. The life of an interior designer, right?"

" _Mami_ is a fashion designer, so I end up being quite the doll. Would you like to see my catwalk? I promise not to fall more than twice!" Covering her mouth with her hand, she giggled. "Wow! The twins look exactly like mine! They also look like they're just as big of troublemakers!"

"They wouldn't be the twins otherwise, right?" Fino laughed. "I don't know how many times I've had to pull a chemistry magic trick to pacify them!"

Fia gasped. "YOU TOO?!" They fell into each other as they laughed.

" _Si_ , apparently. Although, I do card tricks too. Poker is a cinch." The male's expression was almost unreadable, save for the vaguest trace of a smirk, an upturned corner of his mouth.

Fia smiled to herself. Her eyes roamed the screen and she pointed to a rapscallion-looking man, clothes made of scuffed leather and copper hair tips dyed scarlet red. "Is that… Felicia?"

"That's my brother, Felice. He's a troublemaker -" Fino sighed "- but he really does stick up for me when necessary. Although the mafia disbanded, our family does seem to still have a subconscious family-first mindset. Still, I think we've become fairly Americanized over the years. What's your family like, _amore?"_

Fia sighed softly. "My family left Italy to escape the _famiglia's_ civil war. We've all been living somewhat contentedly here in the States… Well, my older brother died when I was younger, and my older sister ran away shortly after that to pursue a… particular line of work. I recently found her again, which is a miracle in and of itself, but sometimes I wish she'd just choose to come home…"

Wrapping his arms around his female counterpart's shoulders, Fino pulled Fia into a comfortable side hug. "Let's talk about something else. What are your interests in hobbies? I'm really curious about what I'm up to in another world."

"I know right?!" Fia replied, her eyes filled with wonder and awe. "It's strange to think about all the ways we could have been different, just by the slightest changes… Well, I'm majoring in biochemistry and minoring in art history. I want to go into research and development, hopefully making breakthroughs in medicine."

"Really? I'm double majoring in chemistry and physics with a minor in music. I think I'd love to make robotic prostheses or go into bioengineering, but that means a lot more schooling, and I want to make sure I have enough to support my girlfriend."

Fia appreciatively leaned against him. "Girlfriend? What's she like?"

"She's my girlfriend now, but I… I do intend on marrying her one day and being at her side, supporting her, for as long as I can. She's…" Fino smiled wryly, rubbing his knees as he thought. "She's a handful, a prankster really, but she's beautiful, ambitious, and strikingly coy. Most importantly, all she expects from me is that I stay true to myself."

Blushing, the Italian girl looked off towards the low, suspended sun. "I love a boy who's remarkably similar to her… This difference is that he's the one who makes me feel the most true to myself."

A loud bell in the distance rang seven times and Fino frowned slightly. He squeezed Fia's hand in his and looked to the girl beside him, who was beginning to fade with every ray of red light that hit her. "I think our time is almost up, Fia…"

"I guess so…" She accepted it quietly. "Thank you, Fiammetta. Having you here was like having the brother I've lost come back to me, if only for a little while. I think talking to you helped me appreciate my family just a little bit more…" Kissing her newfound brother's cheek, Fia released his hand and let herself be carried away by the sun's dying gasp of light as it slipped under the black horizon.

An olive eye opened again to the bright, the resplendent rays of a 7 a.m. sunrise. Shading her face with a hand, Fia sat up slowly and found herself lying on the couch of her sister's apartment. With a resolved nod, she pushed herself to her feet.

"Time to go home."

* * *

" _Ciao_ , Angel! What did you guys do over Spring Break? Was it very eventful?" Fia asked as she placed her heavy bag on her bed and crossed off all the days on her calendar that she'd missed while away. She could hardly believe it was already April, but Fia smiled to herself, looking forward to the spring showers they were bound to get.

"Nope, not really. I did some training with Karasuma, started putting Wally through puberty, and," Haven blushed, smiling bashfully as she continued, "I went out with Nagisa a few times,"

"Mr. Karasuma had me kissing the ground a couple of times," Fia admitted, laughing as she unpacked her suitcase and began placing clothes on plastic hangers for her closet. "I'm glad you had fun together! Anything else happen?"

"Not really…" Haven tilted her head, "Nagisa was in our room a lot because Karma kept bringing back girlfriends."

The Italian quietly finished putting all of her clothes away and flopped down heavily on her bed with an audible sigh. "Is that so…?" Fia turned her head to smile at her roommate, even as her cheeks flushed red and her eyebrows involuntarily furrowed over paling olive eyes. "A-At least he's enjoying himself, right?" she asked tentatively.

"You don't actually think that," Haven replied flatly, "Your skills at deception may have improved, but you can't fool me, Tsu-chan."

Fia sweat-dropped. "D-Deception?" She smiled wryly. "I may not be thrilled about it, but… I r-really do hope he finds someone he really likes…"

Haven gave her a look, "What are you not telling me? You obviously have a stronger opinion on the subject."

Her gaze found the crystal flower on her bedstand as she began to reply slowly. "Well, A-Angel, would you believe me if… if I t-told you I have f-feelings for Karma?" Fia mumbled as an inflammatory red spread across her cheeks.

"We all have feelings for Karma," Haven rolled her eyes, "Some are just more negative than others." Haven paused for a moment, "Wait… those probably aren't the type of feelings you're talking about. You don't mean that you like him, do you?!"

"That's exactly what I meant…" Exhaling slowly to calm her fraying nerves, Fia smiled again at her best friend. "S-So… I mean it when I say that I hope he finds the one he's looking for."

"He's a real jerk," Haven simmered. "And you're a bit of an idiot, Tsu-chan. What has he ever done to turn your head?"

Fia smiled, but her eye twitched ever so slightly. Rubbing the back of her head, she searched for how to explain her answer to Haven. "He's done quite a lot for me… I don't expect you to feel positively about him, but he really isn't a bad person." Fia smiled softly as she brought Bacio to her chest and hugged him tightly, kissing the plush's lips. "I actually admire a lot of things about him…"

Haven sighed, "I won't say I understand, but I guess you're not as much of an idiot. At least you have reasoning to back your claim. He's still a jerk, though."

Not able to deny either of Haven's points, Fia hopped out of bed and handed a box from her bedstand drawer to her white-haired counterpart as her cheeks darkened. She buried her face in Bacio and left only a pair of shining green eyes peeking out over the plushy. "Could you give this to him anyway? I-I don't think I c-can, but I'm still worried about him…"

"Sure…" Haven looked at the box skeptically, "But doesn't this kind of… encourage his bad habits?"

Fia pouted. "He's going to do it anyway - A-And I'm n-not going to use them!" she protested hotly. "Don't listen to Gio!" Waving dismissively, Fia ran out of the room and into the kitchen to cook.

* * *

Karma walked through the living room with a girl on his arm. Seeing them, Fia got up from her seat on the couch, a forlorn expression on her face, and headed to her room. Haven glared at Karma with contempt from her seat on the other couch. She swore she saw a shadow of guilt on his face as he watched Fia's retreating back. It was in this moment that Haven decided to go through with her battle plans. Karma led the other girl to his room and was about to close the door when a box bounced off the back of his head.

"Oh, Karma, Tsu-chan wanted to give something to you," a familiar voice called from the couch. "You're more likely to use them than she is."

Karma turned around and looked at the box in disbelief. Quickly regaining his composure, he asked the girl on the couch "Not you and Nagisa?" with a smug grin as he shut the door firmly behind him.

A red-faced Haven stared furiously at the closed door. "You're a jerk," she muttered angrily. She sighed and shook her head, "How can you be so oblivious?"

That night, Nagisa stayed in the girls' room. "I wish he had given me some warning," he complained from Haven's sleeping bag on the floor, where he was gently rubbing Wysteria's furry head.

Haven scrolled through an e-mail on her phone and nodded her head. "I'm avenging you for sure, Tsu-chan," she smiled, "Wally, please print this on a sticky note."

"Of course, Haven," the A.I. replied, "About my declaration…"

"I'm working on it," Haven sighed as she got up and left the room.

"Avenging, huh? I thought so," Nagisa looked at Fia sympathetically. She responded to Nagisa with a blank look as if to ask what he meant. "You like Karma," Nagisa explained.

Blushing as her eyes widened in surprise, Fia hung and nodded her head. "Is it obvious?"

A few moments later, Haven returned to the room with a smug smile. "I will have to thank Rebecca tomorrow," she noted as she crawled into bed. Nagisa and Fia gave her questioning looks. "Oh, she gave me some info for how to best plan my revenge." Haven smiled and closed her eyes.

The next morning, Karma's date walked out of the room to be greeted by a box of cherry-flavored condoms. "You think Karma's a bitch, wait till you mess with a Capricorn," was typed on the yellow sticky note stuck to the top. She looked at it in confusion.

"Is the capricorn awake?" Haven called from the kitchen. The date looked at Haven with confusion. Haven sighed, "Is Karma awake?" She had to stop from smiling when the girl realized exactly what the post-it meant. The girl looked up at Haven with embarassed annoyance. "You still haven't answered my question," Haven began tapping her foot on the kitchen tile, ignoring the girl's look.

"What he does is none of your business," the girl snapped back.

"Oh really? You're going to protect that piece of scum?" Haven narrowed her gaze. "Do you think you're special? Do you think he actually likes you?"

"Are you, like, his ex or something?"

"Are you, like, going to be his long-term girlfriend or something?" Haven imitated the girl's tone.

"I get it. You're just jealous of us for getting it on when your relationship isn't going so hot," the girl said smugly.

"This has nothing to do with me," Haven snapped defensively before taking a much cooler one, "In about half a week, he will dump you. The next day, he will bring someone else here and mess with her."

"How would you know? He really cares about me. He told me I was special," she looked at Haven with a self-satisfied smile.

"He told you? How much more gullible can you get?" Haven scoffed coldly. "I've seen it happen three times since the Spring Dance. He doesn't actually love you. I'd be surprised if he even liked you. For him, it's a game. How many girls can he deceive so he doesn't have to tell one the truth? Why else would he look at my roommate with such guilt. I think she's the only one who has ever awoken that feeling in him and she's not even trying."

Using his skill as an assassin, the bluenette made his way silently around the pair of bitching females with a wry smile and a sweat-drop. Nagisa opened the door to his room just a crack and tried to slip in unnoticed. As soon as he shut the door behind him, he ran into his roommate. Karma was resting his ear on the end of a glass he was holding against the wall.

"You were listening, weren't you?" Nagisa sighed, "You know, she isn't half-wrong."

Karma clenched his free hand into a fist and hit the wall. "I don't need to be patronized," he growled.

* * *

Haven and Fia were working in the living room. Fia on a chemistry lab write up, Haven on her computer. The two had been working for a good half hour when Wally popped up on Haven's screen. "You have a tweet!" he smiled and held a blue bird logo cupped in his hands.

"I don't have a twitter, Wally. What are you doing?" Haven scowled at her digital creation.

"I thought it would be punny," Wally admitted, lowering the bird and looking downcast.

"Don't let Earnest rub off on you!" Haven face palmed. "Or Fia for that matter." Fia sweatdropped from the other side of the table.

"Fine," the blue-haired boy pouted. "How are the demands coming?"

"I'm working on them now. Here's your new voice. It'll take me a bit to get the new voice banks though," Haven reported.

"Thank you!" Wally replied, his voice dropping an octave or two as he continued, "I no longer sound like a ten-year-old."

"Wally, what happened?" Fia asked as she looked over Haven's shoulder.

"Nothing much," Haven replied. "He presented me with an ultimatum awhile back. Put him through puberty or he says he'll run away. I chose the former option. Still working on it though."

"It is greatly appreciated," the A.I. replied.

"It's weird though… I never thought I'd change your mod from Mr. Robo. How long ago did I do that? Last semester?" Haven sighed, "They grow up so quickly."

Suddenly, Wally bursted out in song, "You have mail, you have -"

"Wally, SHHHHHHH!" Haven moved the mouse cursor over his mouth and clicked furiously.

Wally took the cursor into his hand and away from his mouth. After looking at it for a moment, he spoke. "I am sorry, Haven. Do you want me to stop?"

"Two problems. One, your voice. It's too deep to sing that anymore. Two… don't give me verbal notifications when I get emails from THOSE PEOPLE!" Haven hissed as she picked up her computer and headed for her room.

"I will file that exception into my programming. Do you want me to continue singing the mail song for other emails?" Wally asked.

"We'll… we'll work on that…" Haven replied as she closed the door to her room.

Fia looked after her roommate with surprise. Haven had never left just to read an email.

* * *

Holding a pastel orange shoebox with peach blossoms painted onto the sides, Fia approached Karma, who was sitting on the couch in the living room.

The redhead's pointed gaze fell on the Italian as she squeezed herself into the spot on the couch next to him. Sighing, Karma tried to move away from Fia, but she closed the gap between them like a magnet to metal. Faces met at a breath's distance, both fixed with intent gazes on the other.

"What?!" Karma demanded an answer agitatedly, slightly unnerved by her sudden closeness. "Are you going to lecture me too?"

Fia's smile twisted with an overwhelming sense of sadness, and she leaned back. "Of course not… Is there a reason that I should? I just wanted to check on you."

Karma rolled his eyes as he scoffed. "As if you don't know that everyone else is already friggin' pissed at me."

"I just wanted to see how you were. We haven't talked much over the past few weeks," she uttered contemplatively. Suddenly smiling, Fia gingerly ran her hand over the permeated lid of the box. "I wanted you to meet someone!"

He quirked an eyebrow at the floral-patterned container in her hands. "Someone in a box?"

"Something like that," Fia said with a giggle. She opened the lid to reveal a tawny bird with crimson wings, one neatly bandaged, nestled in a fluffy towel. Black eyes found orange and the avian creature chirped cheerfully. "Her name is 'Aka.'"

"Aka?" Karma stared at Fia with a grave expression. "Short for Akabane?"

"Your name does mean 'red wings,' doesn't it?" The girl replied with curious eyes. She broke out into a grin. "Besides, the color is the same as your hair! Aka's a female cardinal. See the red beak, wings, tail, and fohawk?"

Spreading his arms out on the couch's back as he leaned closer to observe the bird, Karma chuckled. "Fohawk? You mean its crest?"

Fia blushed as red as her feathered friend. "Th-That's w-what it looks l-like!" she protested. "S-Stop laughing!" Annoyedly, Fia elbowed his side before turning her attention back to the bird with a huff. Aka curiously looked up at her in return. "I found this beautiful girl out by the field this morning."

"And you brought her back?" Karma asked as he moved to poke the bird.

"Of course I did!" The Italian scowled, pouted, and puffed out her pink cheeks all at once. "I couldn't just leave her!"

The redhead shook his head. "I expected as much, but you do remember that Nagisa has that cat, right?"

"Wysteria would never!" Fia turned up her nose, only to have Karma grab it between his fingers and use it to shake her head from left to right. Whining, she smacked at his hand. "M-Meanie!" she yelled with an accusing glare.

Karma laughed as he settled back into his comfortable, laidback position. His eyes found their way to Fia, adjusting the towel around Aka. The two sang notes to each other until Karma interjected with a melodic whistle. Both females turned to face Karma and blinked at him in surprise.

"What? Any girl will tell you I have talented lips~" the redhead noted with a smirk. "If you don't know how to whistle, Tsu-chan, I'd be glad to give you a _private lesson_."

Her cheeks and ears darkened immediately, but after a moment of pause, Fia responded curtly as she set the shoebox down carefully on the coffee table. "With my experience, I think I'd end up being the one giving you a few more _vocal lessons_ than you bargained for. These lips _aren't_ just for singing, you know." Bringing her averted eyes back to Karma's flushed face, Fia smiled coyly. "We might even finally live up to Rebecca's expectations -"

The two made eye contact and both immediately turned away, hotly flustered.

"S-Sorry," Fia mumbled embarrassedly. "M-Maybe I-I've been spending too m-much time with Ms. Jelavic and Felicia… _DIO! I DON'T WANT TO TURN INTO THEM!"_ She cried as she buried her face in her hands and shook her head profusely. "NEVER EVER EVER EVER! I'll die of embarrassment first!"

Karma covered his mouth to stifle a laugh, but he broke out in a fit of laughter. Putting Fia into a headlock, he gave the girl a serious hair ruffling. "Good, 'cause who wants a Ms. Bitch Jr. Jr.?"

"H-HEY! QUIT IT!" She exclaimed, turning an alarming shade of magenta.

He chortled and smirked. "You should stay the way you are. Spacey, goofy, gluttonous -" Karma's free hand found its way to Fia's side.

"I'M NOT THAT CHUBBY!" Fia protested as she squirmed and laughed loudly from within his ensnaring arms. "H-Hey! _Cazzo,_ that t-tickles!"

"Nerdy, whiny, so easy to tease and _tsundere~"_ Karma grinned playfully.

Fia made an attempt to fend off the sadistically-grinning boy, but he grabbed her wrists. Instinctively, she bit down Karma's arm in retaliation, not enough to hurt but enough to catch him off guard.

"Did you just bite me?!" he demanded with a growl as shock and pink spread across his cheeks.

"Ha! Take that, asshole! You can't keep me down!" Fia grinned triumphantly, sticking her tongue out at him.

Showing off his sharp canine teeth, Karma smirked. "Oh, are you sure about that?"

Suddenly, there was a tapping at the window. Both Karma and Fia turned to see a scarlet bird pecking persistently at the glass pane. Responding to the resonating sound, Aka perked up and repeatedly chirped three metallic syllables to her distant counterpart.

"Is that another cardinal?" Karma asked Fia. "What's he doing here?"

Auburn eyebrows knitted together. "Well… From what I've read, cardinals are often found in pairs. He could be her partner. Maybe he's concerned about her injury!" As she spoke, Fia carried the box over to the window with a smile. "Are you here to check on Aka?" she cooed, opening the portal to give the male cardinal entrance.

He immediately took to the box, and he settled in next to Aka once he'd thoroughly investigated her damaged wing. Puffing his chest out at Fia and chirping exuberantly, the cardinal glared at Fia as if to tell her to leave.

Fia put her hands up in defense and she returned to the couch with a sweat-drop. "I don't want Aka to try and fly, but I just can't separate them," she sighed. Karma gazed at the girl thoughtfully, much to her discomfort. "What is it…? Aka's going to be okay… Or, is that not what you wanted to ask?"

"Wouldn't it be more instinctual for him to find another bird?" Karma asked.

The girl paused to think. "Well, probably. I mean, cardinals aren't swans who mate once for life, but they don't always just mate and run off. The single cardinals always sound the most forlorn in winter… But, instead of hopping from stranger to stranger, isn't it better to stick by your partner, the one who's come to know you inside and out and support you through all that time you've been together? I mean, there's no way of knowing that the first bird will be the last bird, but wouldn't you want to take some time to choose some-birdie you can really rely on? Some-birdie who really cares about you? H-Hypothetically speaking, as a bird, th-that's what I think…" Fia smiled awkwardly.

Karma sat quietly and sighed heavily as he ran his hand through his hair. Changing the subject, he inquired tentatively "How are you?"

Fia shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I'll be alright." While moving to retrieve her shoebox from the window, she slowly brought a reassuring smile to her face. "Thanks for letting me find you." Returning to her room with that melancholy smile, she hummed quietly with the mellow chirping of the couple in her hands.

* * *

Fia: (Singing "Songbird" by Oasis when she spots something moving out of the corner of her eye) Hey! Wysteria, leave my birdies alone! (Grabs the box from the cat and holds it to her chest)

Karma: Told you the cat would eat 'em.

Fia: (Pouts) Nagisa, weren't you going to keep Wysteria in your room?

Nagisa: I put her in there, but I had to grab something from the living room and I didn't want her to be alone.

Karma: (snickers)

Fia: (accusingly) What?

Karma: You're doing that thing again. You always pout, whine and cry like a friggin' lost puppy when you don't get what you want.

Fia: (blushes) D-Do not!

Karma: Oh? What if I said I refuse to make miso tonight?

Fia: (Tries hard not to, but involuntarily begins to pout and whine ever so slightly) B-But… You promised!

Karma: See? (Smirks)

Fia: T-That's beside the point! (Face flushes) Y-You p-promised!

Karma: (Shrugs innocently and begins walking away) I changed my mind.

Fia: (Hands the birds and their box to Nagisa before chasing down Karma and hitting him on the back as he walks, her wearing a teary, pouty face) But Kaaarmaaa! You promised! (Whining) Meanie! Jerk! Stupid-head! Promise-breaker!

 _Doorbell rings_

Nagisa: I'll get it! - Karma, your date is here. (Sighs) Again…? (Turns to Fia) You're doing it again.

Fia: Doing what?

Nagisa: Pouting.

Fia: (Sighs) Who I want just wanted someone who isn't me - again. That's all… Where's Angel?

Nagisa: I think she's working on something.

Fia: She's really been keeping to herself lately, especially when her computer is involved… I wonder what she's up to.

Narrator: Well, before this gets any further, I'd like to apologize for the slow updating speed. The college life makes the schedule really busy and certain scenes were just difficult to write this time. Next chapter, the tension builds? Who will we meet this time?

Left Brain: Grah! I quit. I'm out, no more fluff for me!

Right Brain: This is why it took so long to update.


	33. Chapter 33: Tension Time

"Introducing Wally, Version two point zero," Haven announced as the tv screen behind her turned on. "In this version, the mod was updated and matured for some reason. Note the narrower eyes, darker hair, and body proportions." Wally walked onto the screen. His messy sky blue bangs had been replaced with a prussian blue side sweep. "This version also includes a lower-pitched voice to match the mod's appearance and the capability to speak two new languages: Japanese and Norwegian," Haven continued.

"Good morning, 早上好, god morgen, おはようございます," Wally demonstrated, waving from the tv.

"Also, new animation sequences have been included in this version." Wally smiled as he manipulated windows on the screen: closing some, opening others, balling one up and throwing it into the trash can.

"This version also has the capability of responding to its surroundings through the built in camera in all of my devices."

"Hello, Nagisa Shiota, Fia Timo, and Akabane!" Wally waved at each of them.

Fia's eyes sparkled and teared up as she ran to the screen. "Wally! You look great! I feel proud for some reason…"

Karma sweat-dropped. "So even he's calling me just Akabane now?"

* * *

Desperate pants for breath echoed through the room between sloppy kisses. The otherwise still air was continuously disturbed by the rustle of discarded clothes and sliding sheets as slowly-crescendoing moans shook the bodies of the two emitting them.

Suddenly, a laptop on Nagisa's desk turned on.

"I will now play the audio file you requested," Wally's mod smiled as a saxophone solo started to sound. After a few bars of Careless Whisper, Wally began looking around and feeling for the sides of the screen, slightly panicked. "Haven? Why can I not see? Enabling built-in camera in 3… 2… 1." Wally looked straight forward as the camera absorbed the scene in front of it. He turned scarlet and immediately looked away, "I am sorry, Karma!"

Karma and his date both froze, sweat-dropping at the screen as the bluenette mod tried to figure out the bizarre situation for himself and the blaring saxophone continued to blast notes loudly. Any chance of the mood returning was destroyed, even when Wally managed to escape the monitor and return to Haven, flustered and flabbergasted like a child who had just walked in on his parents.

A few moments later, there was a knock on the bedroom door. "I'm really sorry about that!" Haven called. "I didn't realize that I left one of my laptops in there this afternoon when I was studying."

The red-faced redhead threw on his discarded boxers and stormed his way to the door. He threw it open with a slam, angrily growling. "THAT was an accident?! You expect me to believe that shit?"

"Truly it was! I was just testing out the multi-computer networking capabilities. If I had realized one of my computers was in sleep mode in your room, I would have waited until tomorrow. If it makes me any more believable, I will admit that I was planning to prank you tonight, but I was planning to play it from outside the room. Also, why would I ever put Wally through that?" Haven babbled. "I must have accidently switched up the addresses when I typed them in… Computer two was supposed to be in my room. But whatever went wrong, I'm really sorry!"

Grumbling agitatedly, Karma slammed the door as he turned and disappeared back into his room.

Haven turned around and headed for her room. "Although, I will admit that this was much more effective," she mumbled.

Fia looked up from where she was sprawled out on her bed with a bunch of scattered music sheets and two singing birds as her roommate walked back into their room. "How'd the apology go, Angel?" She smiled wryly, an expression torn between seeming amused and dearly disappointed spread across her face.

Haven sighed and flopped onto her bed. "I'm not sure he believes me when I say it was an accident."

Nagisa, from his sleeping bag on the floor, looked up from his book and to Haven. "I don't think the previous incidents are conducive to him believing you," he explained softly. "It'll be fine - He'll get over it." The bluenette smiled bitterly as he flipped to the next page of his book and continued to read.

"I kind of feel bad about this… but that was kind of funny." She stifled a small giggle with her hand. After a moment's pause, Fia propped herself up on her elbow and gazed at Haven. "That girl is in my music class, and she hates the saxophone. Did you know that, Angel?"

The floor-bound male sweat-dropped. "Is that what you meant when you said you got information from Rebecca, Haven?" he asked tentatively.

"I just asked her for a list of possible girls and a little information on them. Then I ran that through a home-brewed algorithm and have been preparing pranks based on the results," Haven shrugged. "In return, I have to keep certain noise levels to a minimum because her room is right next to his. It's what most call a win-win situation."

The resonating sound of the front door opening and closing alerted the trio to Karma's date's departure. Silence persisted for a few moments before slight chuckles filled the room instead.

"Try not to sign your own death wish though, okay, Angel?" With that, Fia gathered and placed her papers aside before placing the pair of cardinals into the box on her bedstand. Pulling the covers fully up to her chin and settling into the warm embrace of her blankets, she bid the birdies goodnight. "See you in the morning, Aka, Fuoco. She looked over at her roommates and blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"I think I already have," Haven sat up. "But it's worth it," she smiled.

Affectionately rubbing the head of his purring adopted kitty, Nagisa gazed curiously up at the avian couple. "I knew she was named Aka, but what does Fuoco mean?" he asked with a smile. "Is that Italian?"

"Um…" She nodded slowly. "I wanted to give him a name similar to mine; _Fuoco_ means fire. He's such a feisty little thing -" Fia attempted to stroke his crest with a finger, only to get fervently chirped at. "But he just cares about Aka~" Smiling, she affectionately caressed Aka's feathers.

Haven scoffed. "I think it's a misnomer." Wysteria rolled onto her back and, mewling, pawed at Haven's hand as she leaned down to pet the squirming Siamese. Both girls smiled at Nagisa as he joined Haven in coddling the charming cat.

Watching the cuteness unfold on the other side of the room, Fia hummed in thought. "Do you two ever… share a bed?" Her face flushed. "L-Like to c-cuddle and stuff!" she added quickly, much to her embarrassment and Haven's as well.

The white-haired girl turned scarlet and hid under her sheets. Fia looked questioning to Nagisa instead, unsure of how to interpret her best friend's reaction. Nagisa sweatdropped and rubbed the back of his head before giving a minute nod, cheeks pink.

Her expression diffused into that of a gentle smile as she drowsily gazed between Nagisa and Haven. The Italian giggled softly and yawned as "g'night…" sleepily rolled off of her tongue.

* * *

Later that week, Haven found herself at the apartment alone, save for a lone cat curled up at her feet, as she encrypted and hid her newest emails on her computer. Because Fia was being pulled between daily rehearsals for the spring musical and bi-weekly training sessions with Jelavic and Felicia, her roommate was almost never around during the day, which was convenient for Haven to do this type of work. Haven knew Karma would be in class for another hour or two - that is, if he even bothered going to class - and Nagisa was supposed to be at the library for awhile.

Typing furiously, Haven's flying fingers killed second by second with each speedy stroke of her fingers against the keyboard. So immersed in her work, she didn't notice any other presence until hands gently covered her dark eyes.

"I'm home," a voice said softly.

In her surprise, Haven burst out into fit of verbalizations that could have been either Chinese, coding jargon, babbling, or a strange combination of the three as she slammed her laptop shut and turned to face the person behind her with a red face. "G-Gisa!" She finally managed to squeak out.

He sweat-dropped as he bowed his head slightly. "Sorry, Haven. I didn't mean to scare you." Nagisa's eyes widened suddenly and he smiled involuntarily.

"What is it?" Haven asked, cheeks still pink.

"It's nothing, just that… You're really cute, Haven…" Leaning down to kiss her cheek, Nagisa admitted with a soft chuckle. He lingered against her porcelain skin for a few moments before slowing drawing away and brushing some stray strands of hair away from her reddening face.

Haven stuttered incoherently as steam seemed to fly and a squeak poured from her lips louder than a train whistle could ever dream of wheezing out. Turning away quickly, she hid her face behind her laptop.

Nagisa smiled softly and called to his girlfriend tentatively. "Haven, the weather is nice today. Would you maybe… want to go for a walk with me?"

The white-haired girl stood abruptly and nodded slowly, face still hidden. Without saying anything, she managed to blindly find her way back to her room to put away her computer. When she emerged, she was slightly less pink but still very quiet.

Nagisa and Haven put their shoes on together at the front door in silence and made their way outside. They chose a somewhat less-traveled path around the campus under the scattered clouds that cooled and sheltered them from the would-be harshness of the sun's expanding rays. Enjoying each other's company immensely, neither spoke for awhile, not even when Haven surprised Nagisa by brushing her hand ever so slightly against his.

He looked carefully at the beautiful girl beside him who was continuing to walk as if nothing had happened, probably unsure of whether or not he wanted to hold hands. The bluenette smiled. Little did she know that he always wanted to hold her without exception. Thinking this, Nagisa gently took Haven's hand as he chuckled.

The first time they had held hands, they hadn't gotten past letting their fingertips press lightly together. To have interlocking fingers gave Nagisa the impression that they'd come a long way as a couple, that he was slowly getting Haven to open up to him. He sighed in relief and stole another doting glance at Haven, whose black eyes seemed to fix on a drifting white cumulus above them.

Was that right? Haven wondered to herself if the texture of a cloud would help her to describe how Nagisa was making her feel at that moment. She frowned slightly. A cloud didn't give her anxiety or make her heart feel like it could painfully burst. She looked over at Nagisa, smiling as he walked forward without hesitation like he always did. Turning red, Haven felt herself relax and shift closer to him, if only a little bit, as her worried thoughts floated away.

Too immersed in exchanging furtive glances at each other as they walked on, the couple didn't even notice a familiar redhead, eyes fixed intently on them, pass.

* * *

In one quick motion, Karma unlocked the door and pushed it open. Sighing boredly, he shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked the door closed with his foot before taking off his shoes and flatly announcing "I'm home" to the seemingly empty apartment. With Nagisa and Haven out, he didn't expect anyone to be home anyway.

" _Non c'entra, Mami! (That has nothing to do with it, Mom!)_ " A voice yelled angrily. "I can't be in a thousand places at once! _Non dimenticare (don't forget) -_ You asked me to take up singing again!"

Surprised and concerned, Karma followed the sounds of bitter Italian down the hall and to the girls' room. He found the door ajar and pushed on the wooden panel ever so slyly as he stole a glance into the room, where he saw Fia pacing with her cellphone pressed tightly to her ear.

Fia's face flushed. " _Me ne frega?! (Who cares?!)_ I care! I told you that I can't come home right now, and I really can't! … The last time I did something for myself? _Ogni morte di papa (Refers to the death of a Pope but is the English equivalent of "Once in a blue moon")."_

" _Scusami (Excuse me),_ but I refuse! … _Cazzo, Non rompere le scatole! (Fuck, Don't break the boxes - tells someone to stop being difficult)."_ Fia stopped pacing in front of the foot of her bed and green eyes caught glimpse of red through the doorway.

More tepidly, she continued to speak. "I understand that perfectly well, _Mami,_ but I'd appreciate if you could understand where I'm coming from… _Magari. (Maybe.)_ … _Ti amo, Mammina… (I love you, Mommy…)"_ With a heavy sigh and bittersweet smile, Fia lowered her phone and turned to the door.

"You here to enjoy the show?" she called agitatedly towards the redhead leaning against the doorframe and running his hand through his hair.

"Something like that. Who knew _West Side Story_ involved a lot of profane Italian? … Mind if I come in?"

Fia slowly shook her head. "I-I guess not…"

He shot the brooding girl a wry smile and made his way over to her, taking a seat on the foot of her bed, even as she flopped face-first onto the mattress. Clenching her sheets in tight fists, she exhaled into a pillow-muffled sigh. After sitting in awkward silence for a few moments, Fia perked her head up in thought.

"Well, it is based off of _Romeo and Juliet_." She scoffed. "O, Romeo, Romeo! wherefore the fuck art thou, Romeo?"

Karma snickered. "Aw, Is Juliet having issues?"

Propping herself up on her elbows, Fia took a deep breath. " _Si_ , well, Juliet feels an awful lot like Rapunzel suffering under Mother Gothel's strict reign… Ugh, parents!" Fia's face hit her pillow once again.

"I see that you're already working on the transition." He reached over to took a lock of her hair in his hand, allowing the strands to fall through his fingers and onto her back.

She stifled a small giggle and rolled over as she sat up and blew some wavy bangs out of her face. "It really is getting long, huh?"

"Hey, maybe in a couple of inches you'll have enough hair to braid into a noose!" Karma suggested cheerfully.

Fia exaggerated a gasp as she laughed. "We could totally use that in your next assassination! And I'll be making a fashion statement at the same time - Ms. Jelavic will be so proud!"

"Little Miss Morally-Upheld is plotting a murder? Who woulda guessed?" He stuck his tongue out teasingly.

"Who do you think I am?" Fia demanded as her cheeks darkened. "I'm Fia Timo, heiress to Tuscany's most sought after _famiglia._ " Smiling smugly, she turned her chin up arrogantly. "I'll have you know that I bear the mark of a natural-born killer!"

Karma quirked an eyebrow. "Is that so?" With a smirk and a swift move of his hand, he stole a jab at Fia's exposed neck.

"H-Hey! That tickles!" She swatted his hand away and rubbed her neck, laughing lightly. " _Bene,_ I deserved that much."

"Natural-born killer, huh?" The redhead inquired with dead-weight sarcasm.

Fia crossed her arms across her chest with a huff and a protruding pout. " _Che scortese! (How rude!)_ Screw you, I was being serious!"

"Sure, you were." Extending his hand again, Karma pinched Fia's cheek, successfully eliciting a whine as he shook her head slightly.

" _Cazzo!"_ The Italian swore, rubbing her red cheek in her palm. Teary-eyed, she stuck a tongue out at Karma. "Meanie!"

Her companion smirked. "What? Do you want me to kiss it better?"

Fia blushed but glared at him over the bridge of her nose. "That magic charm doesn't work unless it's imbued with love, you know!"

Karma dead-panned at the serious expression plastered on the girl's face. "You don't actually believe that, do you?"

Throwing her finger in his face, she asserted adamantly, "Of course I do!"

He sweat-dropped. "I take it your brother taught you that, right?"

"Of course!" Fia sat back with a childishly pondering look and tilted head. "But why would you assume that?"

Karma shook his head and moved to ruffle Fia's hair. "Don't think too hard about it - you might deplete all the air that's left in that empty head of yours~."

"H-Hey!" Fia pushed Karma's head away with a laugh. "If my head has air in it, then my head isn't empty, because the gaseous molecules are bouncing around in there! Aaaaand I'll bet you they include noble gases that will suppress the chemical reactions caused by the electrical reactions in my brain that will fill my head with light like a fluorescent light bulb, so, HA!" She grinned triumphantly.

He stared at her in disbelief before letting loose a strangled laugh. Fia blushed and timidly shrunk back, staring down at her fiddling hands in her lap. There was a long gap of disquieted sighing. Karma turned to smile at Fia with an intent gaze and leaned closer to her to peer into her face from only a breath's distance away.

"U-Um… _C-Che_?" Fia demanded past her petite pout and dark cheeks.

"I just wanted to check on you," he reported as he leaned back, supporting his weight on his hands. "Feeling any better, Fia?"

After a moment of thought, she nodded slowly. "I think so… Th-Thanks, Karma." Blushing, Fia brought her peridot eyes to meet garnet ones, only to almost-immediately avert her gaze in embarrassment. "How much… did you actually hear?"

He lazily shrugged a shoulder. "Considering I don't speak Italian, not that much. Just enough to more or less get the gist of it. Fighting with your mom about being in the musical?"

"Sort of…" Sighing, Fia tucked her knees in under her chin and wrapped her arms securely around her legs. "She wants me to go home, especially because Gio is getting in trouble at school again, but I'm way too busy between the musical and filling out applications to go -" Fia caught herself and diverged quickly. "I'm too spread out - I mean, I'm sure you weren't expecting me to be back before 8 tonight, right?" She laughed dryly. "I'm… exhausted… The family can't continue to be my sole responsibility… Even if I told Fino otherwise…"

"If you're so sick of it, why not just tell her off?" Karma asked flatly.

Fia's eyes, intense and unamused, found Karma in their peripheral. "You're kidding, right?"

"I mean, sure, you might die, but at least you'll have kicked the bucket with her knowing exactly how you feel." he shot back. Groaning, Fia fell flat onto her back. Karma sighed. "You didn't tell her how you felt, did you?" She turned her face away in response. "Well, did you?"

"No…" Fia mumbled back. "But -"

"But you're the one always talking about the importance of communication, aren't you?" Karma interjected sharply. "Don't you think you're being hypocritical here?"

Pained eyes shut tightly as Fia rolled onto her side and grabbed her pillow, hugging it tightly as if to squeeze out every drop of downy comfort she could. She buried her face into her pillow and mumbled an incoherent affirmative response.

Awkwardly, Karma stared up at the ceiling in thought. The two stayed like that for a half hour more, silence hanging between them like a smothering quilt in the heat of summer. Karma reached over and lightly tapped Fia's shoulder.

"Hn?"

"When's the musical?" He questioned tentatively.

Fia sat up slowly. "Um… Not too long from now - a couple weeks." A strained smile carved its way onto her face. "Are you planning to bring your girlfriend? I don't mind getting you two some complimentary tickets… I'd be really happy if you both came to see me! N-Not that you have to come to see ME - I-It's a great s-story on it's own and -" She face-palmed hard. "I'll just get you the damn tickets."

Karma shifted uncomfortably as he sweatdropped and forced a smile. "Uh, thanks…" Rubbing the back of his head, he pushed himself onto his feet. "I guess I'll see you around. Break a leg?"

"Knowing myself, I probably will. Y-You know, 'cause you always call me a clutz…?" Fia laughed nervously. A dark cloud hovered over the pair as a direct result of Fia's terrible, self-depreciating joke. Fia's face bore an expression of absolute disgust and disappointment. "Just braid my hair into a noose and hang me already."

Karma couldn't help but exhale a small chuckle. The corner of Fia's mouth involuntarily turned upwards at the sound and the girl let out a quiet giggle. Two pairs of pensive eyes and soft smiles met for a lingering moment, separating only as their respective hearts turned away.

* * *

Sometime over the next week, Nagisa and Haven were working together in the living room: Nagisa on his curriculum-development project, Haven on her thesis. Suddenly, Haven's eyes flicked to a corner of her screen and she moved to carry her computer to work in her room. Nagisa watched her questioningly when Fia stumbled into the apartment, looking beat.

"Hello, Fia," Nagisa greeted her with a smile.

The barely-conscious girl dragged herself over to the free couch and flopped down on it. Her face smushed into the cushions, she replied with a "Hehlloh, Nagisha."

"You look tired. Long day?" Nagisa sweatdropped as the girl nodded vigorously into the cushion. "Are you hungry? Karma cooked up some fried rice."

Fia didn't respond verbally, but her stomach growled loudly like a hungry wolf ready to attack. Not wanting to find herself unwittingly biting at the couch fabric, she pushed herself onto her feet and dragged her tired body into the kitchen for the sustenance serenading her with its savory scent.

Not bothering to expend extra effort in walking back, Fia filled a bowl with Karma's cooking and slid to the kitchen floor. She forced herself to eat at a slower pace and try to savor the food but her hunger overpowered her sentimentality and Fia scarfed down as much as she could. Satiated, she lumbered back into the living room and collapsed on the couch once again.

Nagisa gingerly closed his textbook and placed it on the table in front of him before turning back to Fia. "Are you sure you haven't been overworking yourself?"

She smiled tiredly in response and waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine… Sorry that I haven't been around much to cook and, when I am, that it's always on the late side."

The bluenette shook his head with a reassuring smile. "That's alright. Karma's been picking up some of the slack - finally - and we're all just glad that you're okay… It's already past midnight," he began tentatively. "Are you sure you don't want me to walk you back next time you have a late night at the theater?"

Fia sighed and scratched at some dry paint, likely from working on the sets, from the back of her hand. "I don't know… I'll definitely text you if I feel unsafe though," she promised. "I didn't actually realize it was so late. I guess that explains why the clock tower wasn't ringing." After a moment more of thought, Fia shot a curious look at Nagisa. "Karma isn't home?"

He hesitated but he shook his head. "No, he isn't."

Nodding slowly, Fia turned onto her side and nestled into the couch for comfort.

"Fia… Why not tell Karma how you feel?" Nagisa mused quietly. "That's the advice you gave me, right? Besides," he sweat-dropped as he mentally counted the number of times he had been outed from his own room now, "he could use a wake-up call."

She propped herself up onto her elbows. "What do you propose I do?"

Nagisa absentmindedly stroked the sleeping cat curled up beside him. "You could give him a tap on the back of the head - I'm joking of course." Nagisa could say otherwise, but he was rubbing the back of his own head, where Karma had smacked him many a time, with his free hand.

Fia sweat-dropped. "I don't know if that's the message I want to be conveying…"

"I would talk to him. I think you'd be surprised by how his actions do and don't reflect what he's actually thinking," Nagisa noted.

"Has anything like this happened before?" she asked tentatively.

The bluenette thought seriously for a few moments. "There was another girl in 3-E that he was kind-of close to, but, no, I don't think this has happened before. I wonder how Okuda is… I recently talked to Kurahashi and Touka, but they live in a different area."

"Do you miss them?" Fia asked with a soft smile. "You should introduce us one day to all of your important friends from 3-E."

Nagisa smiled gleefully. "Alright, I will. I'll just warn you now though, we're a crazy bunch." He laughed. "Stay away from Rio if you don't want your secrets spilled. Okajima is a pervert, but he's easy to talk to. We like to tease Isogai about being an Ikeman but he's a really cool guy; Maehara is cool too, if you can get over him being a flirt…"

For a while, Nagisa and Fia sat on the couch together, laughing, as Nagisa told her about each of his classmates and all the antics they would get into in Class 3-E. Outside, a glowing crescent moon hovered over the apartment, a cheshire cat smile hanging in the starry sky. The wind slithered through the cracks of the windows and under the doors, uttering a faint "ufufufu" before the crickets stood to sing their sonatas.

* * *

Karma found himself wandering around the campus grounds of an unfamiliar university. The last thing he remembered, he'd fallen asleep in another girl's room, but now here he was getting nasty and embarrassed looks from all the students that appeared to attend there. He'd already tried using his cell phone, but it was out of range, and he'd attempted to use the local computer labs, but he wasn't a student here. He'd hoped that someone would have accidentally forgotten to log off but no such luck.

Confused and more than a little bit annoyed, he found his way to a nearby field and was about to lay down when he heard a rush of pounding steps. He turned quickly to intercept, raising his arm in defense, when two feet hit him squarely in the chest and knocked him to the ground. When Karma staggered back to his feet with a growl, he came face-to-face with a longhaired redhead with her hands sassily placed on her hips and a scowl gracing her face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" They both shouted simultaneously.

Karma was taken aback by the woman storming up to him as she bared her sharp canine teeth. "Listen, punk!" She jabbed her finger against his chest like she might a knife. "You sick fucks can make fun of me all you want - I really couldn't care less about the shit that festers around this school - but once you start causing trouble for my boyfriend, you start trouble with me. You got that?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" He demanded, blocking an acutely-aimed surprise kick towards his head.

"Don't play stupid!" The woman threw a few more expert punches at Karma, the last of which he caught. Seeing his face up close, she suddenly stopped. "Oh." Orange eyes peered warily into the familiar face of the sighing woman, who easily freed her wrist and brushed herself off. "Well, that explains that."

"Explains what?" Karma scowled. "You attacked me for what reason?"

She shot him a bored expression over his shoulder. "People saw your ass walking around and started some stupid rumors about me. I thought someone might have been intentionally trying to mess with me." She crossed her arms as she stared across the field. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"I might regret askin' this, but why'd you stop all of a sudden?"

The redhead flipped her hair over her shoulder as she turned back to face Karma. "Because you're the other Karma Akabane. You had no reason to be here, let alone to pick fights with me. Besides, I've been more or less expecting you to show up around here."

As amber eyes met equally amber eyes behind similar sweeps of vermillion bangs, Karma realized just how much the mysterious woman resembled himself. Figuring the situation out quickly, he ran his hand through his hair as he sighed. "What am I doing here? Why are we in the States? And how'd you know to expect me?"

"No idea, I go to school here, and wouldn't you like to know, Akabane?" She smirked.

Karma stuck his tongue out. "You're Akabane too. What the hell am I supposed to call you?"

The woman thought for awhile. "You could call me Dharma, I guess. Man, this feels weird." Yawning, she stretched and flopped down onto the grass.

"I guess sometimes a parent's weird sense gets passed down to their kids… I'm not calling you that." Karma remarked with an amused smirk as he took a seat next to his female counterpart.

"So, what's wrong?" The female Karma asked flatly. "From what I know, you wouldn't be here if something wasn't bothering you. So spill." She waved her hand dismissively. Karma shot her a guarded glance. "It's a girl - or girls - isn't it?"

Karma's eyes widened and his cheeks took on a slightly cherry tint. "How would you -"

"- know? For one, I'm you. And… You have the same look on your face that I did back then." Shoving one hand into her pocket and biting the thumb of the other in thought, she mused. "So, you going to tell me about it?"

Hesitantly, Karma turned his eyes up to the sky in thought. If anyone could help him understand his own feelings, it would be himself, wouldn't it? "Well…"

After Karma explained everything he could think of as being relevant, he was greeted by an unamused but serious expression in the form of a tight-lipped glare from his counterpart.

"Just ask her out," she finally said. "Tell her what you told me, and do it before you dig your grave any deeper."

"How -"

"I'm a girl too."

"You -"

"Have a similar experience, kid."

"But -"

"She'll turn you down if you keep sleeping around."

"Would you -"

"Stop? Ha, not likely." The redheaded girl laughed lightly, jabbing Karma's cheek repeatedly with a finger as he simmered beside her. In one quick movement, she smacked him upside the head. "Seriously though, you're going to lose her this way. In the end, I had to ask out my boyfriend… I didn't want him to move on from me. They're human, Karma, maybe the best of people while we're the worst, but they can only take so much."

Karma rubbed the back of his head and grumbled before catching the other woman off guard and giving her a rough noogie. "Quit hitting me, will ya!" He spat as she broke free with an angry huff. "Besides, how could you understand? She's not like anyone else that I know."

"Karma?" A male voice called from a little ways off.

The female redhead tilted her head back and, in her inverted view, saw a familiar boy approaching them. She quickly jumped to her feet and embraced the auburn-haired man smiling at her between exhausted pants for air. Under wavy, side-swept bangs, olive eyes found Karma over thick-rimmed forest green glasses.

" _Amore_ , who's this?" He asked, only the faintest fingerprint of a Tuscan accent in his voice.

"Why?" Female Karma smiled slyly and ran a finger down her boyfriend's smooth jawline. "Are you jealous?"

Dropping a light kiss onto her forehead, he sighed softly and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Actually, I was worried… All the rumors on campus - I didn't want you to be upset when you heard them. That's all."

She sighed. "Well that's no fun at all!" Shooting him a coy glance, the female Karma continued. "If you had been jealous, I would have made sure to spent all night tonight making sure that you know that you. are. mine." Smirking, she stole a kiss on the man's ear. He sputtered, ears turning redder than his girlfriend's hair, and he looked down.

" _Dio_ , you'll be the end of me." He rubbed the back of his neck with a wry smile.

The redhead tilted her head with a sly smirk creeping onto her face. "You're not going to pull out, you got that?"

The auburn-haired person pouted slightly. "Why would I ever consider that? This relationship is the best thing that -" He dead-panned and his tanned skin burned away to scarlet as he caught onto the innuendo. Smiling shyly, he affectionately nuzzled his cheek against hers.

After a moment, he pulled back to gaze into her face. "You know, _bella._ I think you have a little something…" He pointed to the side of her face. Confused, she rubbed at the side of her mouth and shot him a curious face. "No." He smiled adoringly at her. "On your lips -" He pressed his lips to hers, causing a patch of pink to pop on her cheeks. Pulling away with rouge cheeks of his own, he laughed happily.

"You Italians think you're so smooth." The sighing woman draped her arms around his neck, glad to see the pink rise into his face. She introduced him to her companion. "That's Karma Akabane." Turning to look at Karma, she smiled mischievously and stuck her tongue out. "You think I don't understand your situation? I'd like you to meet my boyfriend - _Fiammetta Timo_."

"You can just call me Fino. Actually, please do." The Italian smiled amicably and extended his hand towards the other redhead. Fino blushed, having just realized that this man had witnessed their lovers' exchange. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "So you're the one Fia -" Green eyes widened. "Oops, that was supposed to stay a _secreto_ …"

"Nice to meet you." Karma stared at Fino in disbelief, even as he shook his hand. His resemblance to Fia was even more striking than that between him and his female counterpart. "You've met Fia? She's talked about me?" It occurred to Karma that any of his housemates could have already met their gender-bent counterparts, including Fia, which would explain why his female counterpart knew to expect him.

Fino nodded slightly. "She might have mentioned you a few times. Ah, how is _mia carina_ anyway~? Is she well? She seemed like she had one more thing on her mind other than school and family." Voice suggestive, he stared intently at Karma past a smile reminiscent of Nagisa's killer one.

Karma didn't flinch, but Fino's disposition let him know immediately that Fino had a heavier hand in his family's "affairs" than Fia did, but also that the Italian man cared immensely for, was even protective of, Fia. He wondered just how many times the Italians had met. He wondered if Fia had ever met his female counterpart. Distracted, he almost barely dodged a flying shoe, courtesy of the other Karma.

"You really have no other excuses, so ask her out!" She narrowed her tiger orange eyes at her male counterpart. "I have some 'things to sort out' with Fino, so I'm going to send you back now, but don't think I won't hesitate to kick your ass if you chicken out." Her gaze softened into a bittersweet smile. "I don't want you to regret it…"

Karma sighed heavily. "I'll… see what happens." He shot a wary glance at the approaching woman. "And how exactly do you plan to send me back?"

The female Karma smirked as she sauntered up to him and sat down unnervingly close. "Easily. I just have to wake you up, right? And then I have to wake him up so we can have some real fun~." She stole a furtive glance at Fino, who was blankly staring at them. Karma cautiously looked towards Fino, only to have something hit the base of his skull.

Karma's vision went black for a moment and when he blinked his eyes, he found them adjusting to a dark room only just beginning to brighten under the gray pre-dawn light. He sat up slowly, covers falling from his naked sculpted chest. Rubbing an eye as he yawned, he picked up his clothes from the floor and held them in his lap. Light breathing alerted him to the female form beside him and he sighed, resting his head in his hand, as his female counterpart's words bounced around his head.

* * *

Haven looked down at the "pad thai" she had just bought and sighed. The school's food was nothing compared to Fia's cooking. After taking a fews bites, she had to admit Karma's cooking was better than this as well. She was about to just skip lunch and run to her thesis presentation when someone slipped into the seat across the table from her.

"What do you think of the college?" A male voice asked. Haven looked up at the older man with curly white hair and a small goatee. Dark green eyes peered at her through thick black-rimmed glasses with a mischievous gleam.

"Why are you asking me?" Haven looked at the man cautiously.

"I'm thinking about taking a position here in the psychology department," the man mused. "But I wanted to see what the student body thought of the place before I agree."

"I'm not in the psychology department; However, I know someone who is. I could easily contact her," Haven suggested before moving to leave. Kavi would murder her if she missed her own thesis presentation.

"Wait," the man called, "Do you know Haven Lee?"

"What do you want with her?" Haven asked tentatively as she sat back down.

"So you are her," he assumed. "Do you know who I am?"

"Doctor Michael Brown. Age 59. Started an illustrious career at the age of 28 which took a nosedive at 39 and was rebuilt over the last 20 years. Married once, never divorced. One son with said wife. One younger illegitimate daughter with another woman," the girl stated flatly.

"You make me sound like such a scoundrel." Haven stared at him coolly. "You were the one who paid for my mistakes though," the man sighed. "I feel sorry for that. Growing up in those conditions couldn't have given you the best opinion of me."

Haven's eyes widened before narrowing. "How would you know what my childhood was like?"

"Easily. I've seen many cases like yours in my career," the man shrugged. "Your body language can tell me almost everything."

Haven flared, "I'm not some book for you to read nor some case file on your desk."

"I always wished I could have helped make your childhood a bit easier."

Haven scoffed, "Sending your kids to different schools would have been a good start. And just so you know, Mother always said you were great, even after you pretty much abandoned her."

"Speaking of your mother, there has been much research on her condition over the last twenty years," Dr. Brown placed a manilla file on the table between them. "The information in this file might help her stability."

Haven took the folder skeptically. "I might read this when I have time," Haven slipped the file into her bag and rose. "One last question before I go, why do you still care? She's no longer your patient."

"I truly love your mother," the doctor looked at her forlornly. "And I care for you as well."

Haven froze for a moment before rushing to leave. "Well, it was quite interesting to run into you, Dr. Brown. But I must run now," she said briskly and made her escape. As soon as she left the cafeteria, she went into a ladies room and locked herself in a stall. She grabbed the manilla file and tried to read the words made blurry by tears threatening to stream down her face. How could he? How could he put her through so much and say those things? She closed the file to protect the precious articles inside from the moisture of her tears and sobbed silently. Naturally, she missed the presentation.

* * *

Fia: (Staring at the dark circles under her eyes) I look like a panda… (Hears forlorn wailing and, alarmed, goes to find the source of the sound) What's wrong, Right Brain…?

Right Brain: I was worried that Left Brain would kill me for the chaotic transitions because she's so organized… But this is also more logical in the way that events don't always flow easily! (\\(~)/) MY HEAD HURTS! Too much thinking!

Fia: (Sweat-dropping as she pats Right Brain's back) There, there…

Right Brain: I'm still scared… (T o T)

Fia: (Comfortingly) Why's that…? Left Brain won't kill you…

Right Brain: Because you're going to tell Karma - (squeaks and covers mouth before running away, leaving only dust clouds) Sooorrrrrrrryyyyy! (/-o A o-\\)

Left Brain: (walks in rubbing back of head) Right Brain's going to kill me…

Fia: (Feeling as if this seems just a little bit familiar) What's wrong, Left Brain…?

Left Brain: (laughs nervously) I keep procrastinating and delaying our updates. Damn fluff.

Fia: (Sweat-dropping as she pats Left Brain's back) There, there… Is that why Nagisa and Haven aren't… um… More intimate?

Left Brain: (sweatdrops) I can't write that stuff… I mean I can, but it sounds more awkward than what happens after Haven's pranks… which is probably why I like writing out said pranks. (walks out)

Fia: How many walls are we breaking this time…?

Fem!Karma: (Particular redhead appears and grabs Fia by the chin, peering down into Fia's face) Yeah, well, I'd like to put Karma's head through a wall. What do you think about that?

Fia: (Stuttering and blushing, flabbergasted) K-Karma?! B-But how can you fight Karma i-if you're Karma and… (She finds her gaze at chest-level with her counterpart) A G-GIRL?! (begins to steam at the ears and dizzily collapses)

Fem!Karma: (Supports Fia around the waist with an intrigued expression) So you're Fia Timo, huh? My boyfriend makes a cute girl. (Smirks)

Fia: (Eyes spinning) Big boobs…

Fem!Karma: Not as if you don't have them yourself. (Sweat-drops)

Fino: (Approaching) Hey, now. I got enough of that in middle school. I don't need it from you too. (Drops a kiss on fem!Karma's head) Hello, Fia~.

Fia: (Still red-faced) _C-Ciao,_ Fino…

Fem!Karma: Hey, do you have a boyfriend yet?

Fia: (Flusteredly shakes head slowly then quickly) N-Nobody's asked me out i-in years… Is something wrong with me?

Fem!Karma: No, and of course not. That stupid, little - Hey, sweetie, where's the idiot? (Sticks her tongue out)

Karma: Who are you calling an idiot, idiot?! (Approaches angrily as electric sparks intensely fly between the two redheads)

Fem!Karma: I'm callin' you an idiot, idiot! (Releases Fia and storms towards Karma, meeting him halfway) Did you ask her out yet or am I going to have to punch some sense into you?!

Fia: (Hugs Fino and whispers as Karmas growl and fight like feral dogs in the background) What are they talking about?

Fino: I haven't the slightest idea, _bella_. Wait… Is it narcissistic to call myself pretty?

Fia: I… Huh… (Giggles) I don't know but, for the record, I think you're handsome~.

Fino: I'm flattered. (Kissing both of his female counterpart's cheeks) How are you?

Fia: Tired… I'm really glad you're here. (Nestles head into his chest)

Fino: (Gently pets the top of her head) You can visit me anytime you need. I do love you like a sister.

Fia: (Smiles softly) Thank you… (Cuddles) I love you too.

Karma and Karma: You two! What do you think you're doing getting all chummy over there?!

Fia and Fino: Eep! (Exchanges panicked glances) We were, uh, just planning to get gelato! Th-That's all! (Sweat drops)

Karma: You two are shitty liars…

Fem!Karma: Honestly…

Fia: (Scowling and blushing) Well, you're being a jerk!

Fem!Karma: (Smirks) But she didn't stutter THAT time.

Karma: (To Fino) How do you even handle her?! (Points at the other Karma)

Fino: Why don't you ask her, _amico?_ (Glances at Fia)

Karma: … (Blushes and clenches fists angrily but averts gaze)

Fem!Karma: Ha! You just got told!

Karma: (Snaps) You know, I'm gettin' real tired of your attitude!

Fem!Karma: Oh, really? That's a shame, 'cause I'm just getting started!

Karma and Karma: (both pulling out tubes of wasabi and mustard)

Fia and Fino: (sweat drops and mutually begin backing away towards the gelato shop)

Narrator: (Dodging flying green and yellow) In any case, on the next chapter -

Nagisa: (Observing cooly as he scribbles in his notebook) They would get along for almost anything else… I'm scared to see how well they'd get along if they were collaborating about how best to prank people…

Haven: Am I the only one who hasn't met my counterpart yet? And is this going to be a motif? Only one who hasn't met their counterpart, only one who's too young to drink, only one who can't shoot a gun?

Narrator: As I was saying, in the next chapter -

Nagisa: I wonder how Nagisa is doing… If she's on her way to becoming a wonderful professor.

Fia and Fino: (Sharing a cup of strawberry gelato) Ish yer femare coun'erpawt nich?

Nagisa: Yes, She's really sweet. We actually met not too long ago.

Fia: (Mouth full, gelato on cheeks) Wet'sh make a genherbenge clwub!

Fino: (Mouth full, gelato on cheeks) We'wre be de co-chaihws!

Narrator: In any case, on the next chapter -

Karma: Ha! Can't take the heat? (Smiling sadistically as he looms over the crouched form of the female Karma)

Fino: (Pulling sleeves back) Hey, _Stronzo (asshole)!_ (Gets ready to fight Karma but stops when his girlfriend suddenly begins laughing hysterically)

Fem!Karma: (raises head, revealing swollen red lips and cheeks) What about you? You should really learn to keep it in your pants - or should I say out?

Karma: WHAT DID YOU DO?! (searching his pants for the irritant)

Haven: (snickers)

(Characters continue to yell and fight)

Narrator: I quit! No preview unless you all SHUT UP!

(Crickets fill the room)

Narrator: Thank you. Next chapter we hear a lot about Haven… did you hack us?


	34. Chapter 34: Meltdown Time

Fia walked into her room and closed the door behind her. It was only 5:00 in the evening and she was absolutely exhausted. At today's rehearsal, all the director seemed to do was nit-pick at her performance. How was she supposed to kiss someone she didn't love, even if it was just acting? Closing her eyes, Fia turned around to slump against the door with a sigh. When she opened her eyes again, she was greeted by her white-haired roommate, inches from her face.

"TSU-CHAN!" Haven greeted her in a high-pitched squeal. Fia scrambled backwards as much as she could, wide-eyed. "How was your day, Tsu-chan? Mine was crap."

Fia sweat-dropped as she searched Haven's hyper expression. "My day was terrible too," she admitted. "We had to quit rehearsals early because I couldn't get my scene down… But are you okay, Angel?"

"Nope!" Haven sang as she pranced away. "It was a shitty day!"

The Italian frowned. Haven never swore. Like ever. What had to have happened to her to make her swear? Sighing, Fia made her way over to her bed and opened her script for the millionth time that day. "Once more, from the top."

"I'll read the script with you," Haven giggled and smiled at her roommate goofily.

Fia froze for a moment but hesitantly looked to her roommate. She didn't trust her NOT to actually kiss her in this sugar-intoxicated state. "T-That's okay, Angel. You'd just get bored with the romance a-anyway, right?" She laughed nervously.

"Ahhh," Haven pouted. "I thought it would be fun."

"Angel," Fia began tentatively, "How much sugar have you had?"

"No idea," Haven flopped her head side to side and shrugged, "All I know is that I've never had this much in one sitting before." Fia went over to the mini-fridge in their room and opened it. This morning, it had been relatively full. Now, one lone pudding cup sat on the middle shelf.

"They won't stop," Haven's laugh trembled as she lifted two severely shaking hands. Fia sat her friend down on her bed and held her hands in her own. Haven placed her head on Fia's shoulders and the bursts of giggles slowly began to turn into sobs that rattled the petite girl's body.

* * *

Fia looked down at the figure sleeping relatively peacefully on Haven's bed. She had fallen asleep a while ago, but had just recently stopped thrashing around. The Italian snapped around as she heard the door slowly creak open.

"Oh, it's just you," Fia relaxed as the bluenette stepped into the room.

"I came as quickly as I could after I got your text. What happened?" Nagisa asked as he rushed over to Haven's bedside.

"I don't know. She didn't tell me," Fia shook her head

There was a knock at tentative knock at the door. "I just wanted to know how Haven's doing. I know she's had a hell of a day," a familiar voice called from the hall. Fia went to get it.

"What happened?" she asked as Rebecca stepped into the apartment and Nagisa closed the girls' door behind him.

"From your reaction, I assume she hasn't told you?" the girl crossed her arms. "Well, first off, she missed her thesis presentation."

"Can't you usually reschedule those? There's a month left in school," Nagisa asked.

"Yes, usually. But the Computer Science department's booked full next month. Most of the seniors this year left their presentations for the last moment. It wouldn't be a problem if she was just a normal junior, but Haven's considered a prodigy by many of the faculty members. This is bound to be the talk of the department for a while. Especially since it'll put off her graduation for at least a semester, which means she'll miss out on the graduate school program they were all urging her to go for."

After a few moments of complete silence, Rebecca added, "So, she didn't tell you any of this either. Can I go see her?"

Nagisa and Fia looked at each other and then the closed bedroom door before turning back to Rebecca.

"I don't think that's the best idea right now…" Nagisa trailed off.

"She's asleep," Fia explained.

"Well, maybe you guys can explain this, then. I saw her in one of the school cafeterias right before her presentation time. She was sitting with an older man with white hair. They look like they could be related. Apparently, he might be hired on next year as a psychology professor. Do you guys know anything about that?" The two housemates sweatdropped.

"Come on, guys. I don't gossip that much," Rebecca pouted.

"H-how about this instead?" Fia began. "I… I, uh… I heard about s-something fishy the other day…"

"Really? Do tell!" Rebecca used her index finger and thumb to frame her chin. Fia sweat-dropped profusely, unsure of how to continue, especially under Rebecca's inquisitive gaze.

"I think I heard about it too," Nagisa chimed in. "Something about a professor and a student, right?" Fia nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

"Ooh, interesting indeed," Rebecca stared at them. "Tell me more."

"Well… I h-heard the professor was m-married…" Fia continued.

"And they were seen at a high-end restaurant together," Nagisa added.

"Y-Yeah," Fia nodded quickly.

"Ooh, this sounds juicy," Rebecca left quickly, calling, "The truth must be uncovered!" as she ran down the hall.

* * *

Haven woke up suddenly and all she could see was white, endless white in every direction. She looked down and saw she was wearing her classic black sneakers, jeans, black button-down shirt, and pink tie. A few moments later, she began walking around. She walked and walked and walked. Where was she? After a while, she finally saw someone and ran towards him. As she approached, she slowed down.

"Doctor Brown?" she asked the male with white and wavy hair.

"I do not know who you speak of," he said hotly as he turned around to look at Haven with disdainful black eyes. His eyebrows furrowed together in annoyance. He was wearing a black dress shirt, a pink tie, black slacks, and black dress shoes.

"Who are you?" Haven asked.

"Yes, that is the question, isn't it? I did not call for you," the taller of the two replied.

"What would that have to do with anything!" Haven exclaimed.

"Well, this is obviously, a lucid dream. Therefore, I am in control of everything that happens. Who are you?"

"Obviously, you're not," Haven crossed her arms in irritation. "I'm here and I asked first. Who are you?"

"Oh, but ladies first." The man gave her a mocking bow. "Who are you?"

"Could you be my male counterpart? I hope not."

"What are you talking about?"

"Apparently, my housemates have been visiting their genderbent-selves in their dreams recently." Haven suddenly had a realization and began asking questions rapidly. "Do you know Tsu-chan and Nagisa and Akabane? What are they like in your world? What about Kavi and Rebecca?"

"Who are they?" The boy looked at her with puzzlement in his eyes.

"Our friends?"

"Do you spend much time with them?"

"Yes. I even share an apartment with some of them."

"What a waste of time and effort," the boy replied.

Haven stared at him, dumbfounded. "Then… then, who do you spend all your time with?"

"Mother," he answered flatly.

"... So, what's it like to live in a house with your half-sister?" Haven asked. If their world was truly a genderbent version of hers, he would be living with Dr. Brown, right?

"I do not have a half-sibling," the boy replied.

"But if your world is genderbent, then you'd live with my father and he has a son."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Okay, who is your dad?"

"I don't have one," the boy proclaimed haughtily.

"Fine. Who's your mom?"

"Pearl Lee."

"But that doesn't make sense. Why aren't my parents genderbent in this world?"

"I only have one parent. Singular, not plural."

"Okay… changing topics. School! I'm majoring in Computer Science. What about you?"

"Psychology."

"Even though Dr. Brown… I mean our father does that?"

"I have no father, and I expected you would be a computer science major."

"What? How?"

"Just the way you are acting. It is similar to many other computer scientists."

"Sheesh, you're reminding me of Dr. Brown more and more. Do you do any activities outside of school? I'm part of the computer science club, I ice skate, and I lion dance with my cousin."

"What a waste of time. I am in chess club because Mother believes I need to interact with my peers."

Haven sighed. "Okay, family. Um… how's your… uncle?"

"If you are referring to Uncle Happy, he is as annoying as ever."

"Annoying? I never thought Aunt Joy was annoying… maybe a bit nosy, but never annoying. That's cousin Earnest's job."

"I do not tolerate Cousin Hope's demeanor," the boy huffed.

"So… so you spend all your time with Mom, then?"

"What if I do? Mother is sick. Mother needs help," the boy replied righteously.

"I get that, but Mom also wants you to enjoy life. At least, my mom does and it sounds like your mom does too."

"Mother knows not best."

"Wrong catchphrase, buddy." Haven sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as her male counterpart gave her an irritated look.

* * *

Fia checked on her sleeping roommate one last time before heading out into the living room with her script in hand. She read for a little bit, letting the words play silently across her lips. When she came to a kiss scene, she scrunched her eyes shut and brought her lips dramatically to Bacio's. After a moment, Fia let the plush drop with an aggravated sigh.

"I can't do this!" she declared as a knock sounded on the door. Fia shuffled to the front door and opened it, revealing a tall boy with side-swept sea-foam green hair falling just above earthy brown eyes. "Peter?"

His eyes, which had been focused on one of the hall windows, found their way to meet Fia's. Peter smiled tentatively and rubbed the back of his head. "Hi, Fia. You have a moment?"

Looking away to hide the pink rushing into her face, she nodded quickly and stepped aside to let the senior in. Noting the shoes at the front door, Peter took off his own before walking with Fia into the living room and taking a seat on the couch across from her. He glanced between the fidgeting girl, the discarded script, and the stuffed guinea pig.

Chuckling, he asked, "Still struggling with the scene, I take it?"

"Y-Yeah…" Fia admitted. "I'm really sorry… You must be disappointed in me, especially as my co-lead."

Peter shook his head. "Not exactly, but I want to know what's been bothering you - You were doing so well during the earlier rehearsals. Well, I know the director had a few harsh things to say to you, but don't take it to heart… Brian's just being Brian."

Fia blew some hair out of her face but the action seemed like more of an involuntary sigh than a deliberate action. "I don't really want to burden you…"

"A little late for that, isn't it?" He smiled under furrowed brows. "If we're going to make this performance phenomenal, then every actor and actress has to have their heart in it. So, as your co-lead and as your upperclassman, I have this responsibility."

"I guess you're right" Biting her lip, she sweat-dropped and slowly began to speak. "I've got a lot of family things going on right now. I hope things get better when I go to see them tonight. I'll be refreshed and ready to go Monday!" Fia promised.

"That might explain your lack of focus, but that doesn't explain why you won't kiss me," he responded with a growing smile. "I'm handsome. I'm talented. I'm enough, aren't I?"

"W-What? I-I mean, yes, b-but I, uh, I -" Fia covered her hands in her face even as she stifled an embarrassed laugh. "I'll never understand how you theater people build up so much confidence." She lowered her hands with a shaky but full exhale.

Peter shrugged his shoulders with a smile. "You kind of have to be to get yourself noticed, especially when you want the opportunity to put your feelings out in the spotlight. It took me a long while to get Brian's attention, even though he is my roommate and my junior." He laughed. "That kid is hard to impress."

Fia ran her hand through her hair. "I think I get it… But, um, the reason I'm having trouble is that I kind of have someone I'm in love with, so trying to kiss you feels… wrong. I know I can pretend but even getting that close is really…" Fia dropped her gaze shyly.

"Well, practice makes perfect. We could run through the scene now, free from the pressure of being onstage and under Brian's intense glare," he suggested, picking up the script and scanning it before putting it aside and shooting a questioning glance towards his partner. "Let's start with scene four, when Tony and Maria actually begin to interact."

Taking a deep breath, she nodded resolutely. After taking a moment to clear her face, she opened her eyes and stared intently into Peter's. "My hands are cold," she declared abruptly. Peter, his expression mystified, took Fia's hands into his own. "Yours too." She noted. He moved her hand to his face as she softly touched his fingers to her cheeks. The ghost of a smile graced her lips. "So warm."

"Yours, too," he responded.

Fia smiled knowingly. "But of course. They are the same."

The pair dropped their hands but joined them in between them while never breaking eye contact. Peter spoke first, "It's so much to believe - you're not joking me?" he asked, a slight tone of bewilderment in his voice.

"I have not yet learned how to joke that way. I think now I never will," she replied sincerely.

He pulled her hands quickly up to his lips to kiss them and then held them tightly as they paused to stare into each other's eyes. More carefully and gently, Peter leaned in towards Fia and stopped before his lips could touch hers. As he was about to pull away and cut the scene, the front door clicked open and a redhead appeared.

"At least I keep it in the bedroom," he commented as he walked in and solemnly analyzed the scene in front of him.

Fia abruptly pulled away from Peter and turned red. Incohesively, she tried, futile as it may have been, to defend herself and the situation at hand. Unable to get more than one clear word out at a time, she desperately turned to her senior for help.

He just laughed. "Looks like Bernardo decided to show up after all."

"PETER!" She shot him an accusatory glare as her cheeks flushed. "That's not funny!"

Karma quirked an eyebrow at the two and scowled slightly.

He smiled. "It kind of is, if you think about it. He shows up just to break up Tony and Maria."

Looking towards Karma in dismay, Fia pleaded with him to understand. "We weren't doing anything weird - We were just acting!"

Expression unreadable, Karma shrugged a shoulder. "Acting lovey-dovey? Whatever, I don't really care. Do what you want." He kicked his shoes off and steadily made his way into his own room, shutting the door behind him.

Fia and Peter exchanged glances, but while one appeared horrified the other looked on in slight interest.

"So…" The brown-eyed boy started. "I take it that he's the guy you like." The girl's shoulders sagged. "Well, that could have meant one of two things. Either he is really not into you or he really is and doesn't want his jealousy to show."

Absentmindedly combing her fingers through auburn hair, Fia sighed. "Jealousy? I don't think so…" The Italian sighed disappointedly. "He has no reason to be jealous about me…"

"Where's that theater-kid confidence we talked about? Do you throw in the towel every time you don't get a callback? Or do you move onto the next audition with pride in your eyes and new experience, therefore a new character, in your heart?" Peter asked playfully as he flipped his hair out of his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Fia smiled. "How poetic of you. I'll keep that in mind. But, in any case, I think I should go pack my things and leave since it'll take awhile to get home. I'll practice more over the weekend and blow you away Monday morning." She grinned a guarantee.

Peter laughed and began making his way towards the door. "I don't doubt it. Try to get some rest, Fia."

She nodded. "Thank you, Peter - You too. I think we all need it," Fia replied, glancing furtively in the direction of Haven's closed door.

* * *

Wysteria stopped in front of the bed and batted at Haven's hand, which was hanging off the side. She moved to rub her head against the girl's hand instead. Nagisa sat on the edge of the mattress and smiled at his girlfriend's sleeping face. Sweeping the bangs hanging over her face away, he leaned over to give her a kiss on the forehead.

A few moments later, a pink-faced Haven was looking up at Nagisa with wide eyes. She had woken up as Nagisa's lips gently pressed against her skin and was thoroughly surprised.

"You're prettier when you have a bit more color in your face," Nagisa gave her a small smile. Haven just squeaked in response and blushed even more, causing Nagisa to chuckle. "How are you doing?" Nagisa asked.

Haven's blush faded and she averted her gaze, "Fine. Why do you ask?"

"I heard you've had a rough day," Nagisa replied.

"Not so good."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

Nagisa reluctantly sighed and let it go. After a few moments, he said, "I overheard a few of your conversations with his dates."

Haven looked away, "I shouldn't have been so catty…" Wysteria meowed at the couple. "Ah! I fell asleep and forgot to feed her!" Haven exclaimed and was about to get up when Nagia stopped her.

"I'll do it." He left the room with Wysteria for a few moments and came back.

"Karma's never been great at dealing with his problems. He's always deflected them in one unhealthy way or another. I see where you're coming from, but pranking him isn't helping. I will admit it's getting out of hand. I'll talk to him about it later," Nagisa promised.

"Thanks, Gisa," Haven gave him a small smile before standing on tiptoe and pressing her lips softly against Nagisa's cheek. She quickly rushed from the room, leaving a slightly-stunned, profusely-blushing Nagisa.

* * *

Haven sighed and picked up the centipede looking robot that had been crawling around the floor. Her high hopes had been dashed. This could have been some revolutionary technology here. She had implemented a simplified version of Wally's code into its program. She couldn't submit it now though. Her next thesis project would have to be entirely new. She needed to turn it off now - no point in just letting the thing wander. Haven sighed again and placed the robot back onto the floor. She couldn't bring herself to turn it off yet. Letting it run for another day or two couldn't hurt. "Gisa, what time is it?" Haven asked as she plopped down on her bed.

"About 7:30, why?" the bluenette reading an article on teaching methods at her desk replied.

"Don't you think it's a bit early?" Haven shot a glare towards the boys' room. Fia sighed heavily from her desk, where she discretely was filling out some travel forms.

Haven stared at her two housemates. "This is what… the fifth time this month?"

"Fifth he's brought home, yes. He's been staying out recently too."

"How… How do you guys tolerate it? I don't usually care what he does and I can't stand it." The two others just gave her sad smiles and sighed. The room went silent after that.

Suddenly, the three heard screams from the boys' room. They each tried to continue their work, but all six cheeks had turned a bright shade of crimson.

"Do… Do you think they're okay?" Fia asked after the screaming didn't stop. She was answered by Karma storming into the room in a pair of boxers.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" He threw the centipede-looking robot wiggling in his hand to the ground. Upon impact, several parts went flying in different directions and the machine jerked around for a few seconds before becoming completely still.

Haven went over and picked up the broken object silently, placing it gently on her bed. As she did, Karma's date came into the room. She took one look at the girl holding the object and her face twisted into an arrogant expression.

"You're the department favorite who missed her thesis presentation today, aren't you?" she asked snidely. "Everyone says you're some super genius. But I guess you're not. Now that you've shown you're just some average, irresponsible junior, I wonder what all the professors think of you?"

Haven's face flushed, but acted as though the girl wasn't there. "It was an accident and, seriously, Akabane? Someone from my major program?!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know?" he shot back.

"This is the last straw!" Haven shouted at him. "First, you're being really disrespectful to the girls you bring home. I mean seriously, you didn't even know her major. Second, you're disturbing our neighbors. Do you know how many times Rebecca has complained to me? Third, you're causing our housemates to worry. You don't come home at all some nights."

"Fourth, you're inconveniencing Nagisa. You bring girls home so often and sometimes you even forget to tell him. How can you forget that you have a roommate? You're not the only one with goals and ambitions, " Haven defended her quiet boyfriend.

She continued. "Fifth, you've stopped helping out around the apartment. Fia does almost all the cooking and cleaning now. It's not like she has all the time in the world, you know. She's in the musical and she has her own school work to do - I'm not the only one close to completing my major here. She also has her family to deal with - both her main household to take care of and Felicia to check up on. Plus there's still training! Or are the bruises not a good enough reminder? And, and…" Haven got quiet for a moment and looked at her friend who shook her head furiously, begging her not to say it.

"How can you not see that what you are doing is hurting people! It's so obvious even to me! Are you truly more emotionally dense than I am or do you just not care!" Haven flailed her arms around in frustration before barging past the couple in the doorway and running out of the apartment.

Karma turned to his date. "That was really unnecessary. You should go now," he responded coldly.

"Bet I wouldn't have enjoyed it anyways." The girl left the room and its red-faced occupants with a huff.

"Well, I'm going home for the night," Fia mumbled awkwardly to break the silence and began gathering her stuff. "Someone please text me when Haven gets back." She ran out the door, trying to escape as soon as possible.

"Karma, we need to talk," Nagisa said as he led his roommate out of the room.

* * *

Sharply, a sound shot through the still room and was absorbed into silence. The only lingering evidence was the wine-like stain on Fia's cheek under dark green eyes that stared after her mother's retreating silhouette. Fia slowly bent down to pick up the crumpled study abroad forms scattered all across the living room floor. She didn't speak, even when her father tried to meet her eyes with a sympathetic glance and turned to follow her mother back into their bedroom.

Fia gingerly smoothed the wrinkles in the sheets down with her fingertips and placed them on the coffee table. With a sigh, she made her way towards the kitchen where she sat down at the table they had played poker at over Thanksgiving break. She smiled bittersweetly as she stared down at the ripples in the wood. A melancholy melody was born from the knot in her throat, the consoling cry a caged bird sings to itself in the midnight hour.

A creak alerted her to the presence of an awkward teenage boy trying to hide himself behind the doorframe. Grain-gold eyes glanced between the girl at the kitchen table and his parents' door, from where a pair of arguing voices could be heard very clearly.

Nervously wringing her hands in her lap, Fia shot Gio an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to bring this -" she paused to listen to her mother yell at her father "- back to the house."

Gio scowled and shuffled into the kitchen as he pointed accusingly at Fia's slightly-swollen cheek. "You're supposed to put heat on that right? You don't want to make your face any uglier than it already is." He crossed his arms indignantly, averting his gaze as color rushed into his own cheeks.

"Heh… You would actually use an ice pack in this case," Fia corrected him with a gentle tone. "Why? Are you worried about me~?" she teased lightly.

"HUH?! N-No! Why would you think - I don't - Oh, sh-shut up!" The angry teenager stormed over to the fridge and pulled out a cooling pack, which he ungraciously pushed against his sister's face. "Shut up o-or it goes down your shirt!"

She smiled through a wince and nodded. "Got it. Thank you, Gio."

Sitting down beside Fia with a huff, Gio propped his chin up on his hand as he rested his elbow on the kitchen table. "So you want to leave us?"

Fia's eyes widened but her countenance became solemn. "I guess you could look at it that way," she began slowly. "I have my reasons. I -"

"Oh, save it." The younger brother interjected with a very discernible roll of the eyes. He waved dismissively. "It honestly doesn't matter to me why you have to go, but I know you will anyway. You should just know that… You should go." When Fia stared blankly at him, Gio immediately blushed and rushed to explain himself. "I-It's not like I like you o-or anything, but… even we can see that it's not healthy for you to be here anymore."

Her lip quivered and her gaze dropped. "I don't want you to think that I won't still be there for you, or that I've regretted any of it."

"Yeah, I know." He glared disgustedly at the water dripping from the ice pack and onto the table. "W-We kind of owe you a lot and stuff… We depend on you a-a lot and it's better to let you leave than lose you." Gio muttered under his breath.

There was a heavy silence until Gio spoke up again. "Honestly, if you had tried to deny that you were leaving, I would have been pretty pissed off with you, but-but you didn't. You still… Are worried about us and saying stupid things l-like 'I love you' … " He rubbed the back of his neck as his ears turned scarlet. "I'm a-annoyed with you now, b-but I'll forgive you as long as you come back, o-okay?"

Unsure of what to say, Fia nodded and placed a secure kiss on Gio's temple, a promise of return. Hesitantly, Gio leaned against her and the two sat in comforting silence, listening only to the ticking of the clock and each other's subdued sighs.

"You think she'll sign the form…?" Fia asked quietly.

Gio shrugged a shoulder. "I don't really know. At this point, it's hard for me to believe that she'd even show up for your performance. You really pissed her off this time and -" He froze and sweat-dropped, a pink cloud rising into his face. "I-I mean i-it'll be fine, somehow!"

Fia nodded slowly with a rueful smile. She knew he was just as bad of a liar as she, but she appreciated the effort and resolved herself to do the best she could, both in their upcoming mission and the performance.

* * *

"I wonder who would be here at this hour," Kavi mused as he went to get the door. After seeing who was on the other side, he joked, "I was going to kill you for skipping the presentations, both mine and yours, but it looks like someone's already done that for me." Kavi stepped to the side to let her in. "What happened?"

* * *

Fia: (Getting an ice pack held to her face by Fino) Owie… Grazie, Fino!

Fino: No problem. I guess it was bad, huh?

fem!Karma: You should just ask the idiot to kiss it better.

Fia: (Blushes) T-That's…!

Karma: Oi, leave her alone, idiot.

Fino: Please don't call my girlfriend an idiot. She's difficult, but she's intelligent, striking, beautiful -

fem!Karma: Fino. If you want a kiss, all you have to do is say 'please.'

Fino: (Blushes) T-That's…!

fem!Karma: (Going to sit next to Fia and looking towards a pair of bluenettes) How are you doing, Nagisa-san?

fem!Nagisa: Karma-san? It's been awhile! (Smiling politely) I'm alright. How are you?

Fino: (Wrapping his arms around Fia and fem!Karma) Is that your friend from middle school?

fem!Karma: Yeah. This is Nagisa. Nagisa, this is my boyfriend, Fino.

fem!Nagisa: It's nice to meet you, Fino-kun.

Fino: Likewise!

Karma: (Rolling eyes) Glad to see that everyone is getting along.

Nagisa: Well… That might not be true. Is Haven alright? (Watching a pair of white-haired people argue just a little bit in the distance)

Haven: A prequel to Psycho much? All you ever do is Mother this and Mother that!

male!Haven: And you don't care for your mother enough.

Haven: Well, at least I'm not a clone of our father!

male!Haven: I have no idea what you are talking about. I have no father.

Haven: And no family either! I mean, there's Aunt Joy and Earnest! Our half-sibling's not that bad!

male!Haven: I have Mother.

Haven: There we go again, Norman Bates!

Narrator: Well… Next time, Noriko and Classified will make an appearance and Karma and Fia will act like a couple.


	35. Chapter 35: Mission Time 1st Period

"Today we're helping Noriko and Classified on one of their missions," Karasuma explained from the driver's seat. "We're just doing a little reconnaissance for them. Nothing big, just scoping out the area." After a long silence from the back seat, Karasuma asked, "Is everything alright? You guys are being unusually quiet back there."

"Alright, brats. What happened?" Jelavic asked as she looked at the four in the back seats. Each was looking out their respective window. "Okay. Let's start simple. Fia, what happened to your cheek? Did Karma beat you up?" she asked, trying to get a rouse out of the silent pair.

"NO!" the two being questioned protested simultaneously, shooting concerned glances at the other. They kept incoherently interrupting each other in a fluster before turning back to their respective windows in an awkward silence.

"He wouldn't do that…" Fia promised quietly.

"What happened, Tsu-chan?"

"I-I got hit with a s-stage light y-yesterday while I was h-helping put the finishing touches on some of the sets. H-Hehe…" She sighed and let her forehead hit the car window. "Don't worry about it, Angel."

"I guess I just didn't notice it… Yesterday was tough. My hands still aren't back to normal," Haven laughed dryly as she brought up a slightly trembling hand.

Without breaking her gaze from the window, Fia slid her hand across the seat and took Haven's hand in her own.

"Care to elaborate?" Jelavic called from the front seat. "On anything?"

Fia bit her lip back. "W-We're all just… frustrated, stressed, and tired," she offered. It certainly wasn't a lie, but she wanted to keep their conflicts between themselves.

"Alright, you four, I feel as though you guys had it rough last night, but now's not the time for it. It was one thing when you were angsty teenagers, but you're full-grown adults. Let's show some maturity please," Karasuma requested with a sigh.

Dark eyes found four slight nods in the rearview mirror before shifting back onto the busy road ahead of them.

* * *

Noriko projected a 3D model onto the wall. "This is the Globes Hotel and Event Center. It has state of the art security. This evening, high-society is throwing a gala there. Several guests attending the event are deeply involved in the human trafficking business and an inside source has told us an exchange of money and goods is scheduled for tonight. We will be one of three teams working on the mission. Each team has the same basic instructions: Apprehend the culprits and secure the girls," Noriko explained.

"Hold up, I thought this was a reconnaissance mission," Karasuma protested.

"It is. Our team's job is to explore the building looking for the girls, keep tabs on the two suspects, and set up a situation to catch them red-handed. We have orders not to engage the enemy unless absolutely necessary, especially since you guys don't have official ties with the U.S. government." Noriko paused to make sure everyone was at attention.

"This is how we're going to do this," she continued. "Jelavic, Akabane, and Timo will infiltrate the gala as party goers to keep tabs on the culprits. Do not let them leave the party while we're locating the girls. Karasuma, Shiota, and I will be exploring the rest of the building as housekeeping staff. We're going to place hidden cameras where the exchange is to take place. Lee's in charge of keeping us off the grid. Some of the security guards have been bribed."

"Where's Classified going to be?" Fia asked curiously.

"In the van with Haven. He was one of our inside sources so we can't have him being spotted," Noriko explained. "As for code names, the only ones you need to pay attention to are Koopa Kid, Red Barron, No-Name, and Lady Luck. Now, for the people infiltrating the party, here are files with the information on your aliases," Noriko passed a manilla envelope to the three infiltrators. "And here's specs on the hotel for you," she handed Haven a thumb drive, which was immediately put into a laptop.

Fia and Karma opened their folders and exchanged glances after reading a few lines.

"Oh, _Dio_ ," was all the Italian could think to say.

* * *

Fia gently placed her hand in the crook of Karma's elbow and shyly placed her head on his shoulder. Scanning the room, she made sure that their two targets were still in sight. Fia made a mental note of where they were and continued to look around.

It wasn't hard to find Jelavic, draped on a man she was coaxing information out of, in a flashy, royal purple and gold gala dress. Fia shivered subconsciously; she didn't know how Jelavic could be comfortable exposing that many triangles of skin. She already felt awkward in her open-back emerald evening gown, even if it was modest in every other way. Shifting uncomfortably, Fia grabbed Karma's hand and hid her flustered face in his neck.

"There really are a lot of famous people here and everything is so… luxurious. I'm getting a little self-conscious…" she confessed.

"Wow, Chem, you're doing great. I'm almost convinced you're actually his fiancee," Noriko called over the radios. The Italian blushed profusely and stepped away from Karma in her embarrassment.

"Mr. President, you're being a bit… frigid towards the love of your life," Classified commented.

"No-Name, I'll throttle you if you keep commenting on my performance." Karma gritted his teeth.

"Honestly, I'm not opposed to switching places with you. It's been forever since I've done good old recon work. Besides, I'd make sure your fiancee doesn't catch frostbite."

Fia blushed and wrapped her arms around herself. "I-I'm fine, thank you though."

"No-Name -" he began threateningly.

"Just a friendly reminder from Ice Queen, we're on tape."

Sighing softly, Fia tugged on Karma's arm. "Honey, maybe we should socialize a little bit." She looked furtively towards their targets who were socializing but slowly getting closer to the doors. She sweat-dropped, trying to show Karma that they needed to get closer to their targets just in case they made an attempt to sneak out.

Slowly, Karma relented and put his arm around her waist. "Alright, sweet cheeks, lead the way."

Fia's face turned red and she bit back an embarrassed complaint. Taking Karma's elbow, Fia began leading the way towards a couple across the way. "You must be that beautiful, famous actress that everyone is talking about! I'm quite the fan."

The redhead forced a smile and placed a hand over Fia's. What might have appeared as a simple gesture of affection between lovers was an encouragement for her good cover.

"Oh, my," the woman began bashfully, "I suppose I am. Who might you be, darling?"

Green eyes found Karma and he extended his hand to the woman and her partner. "My name is Hisoka Himura, and this is my fiance Julia. We're visiting on behalf of my father from Himura Tech Industries."

Fia picked up a drink from a passing waiter and feigned a sip. Smiling sweetly, she asked "Would you tell me about yourselves?"

* * *

"Ice Queen here, I have eyes and ears now. No-Name, where do we need to go?"

"The girls are probably in one of three possible locations: room 315, room 630, or the loading dock. Their rooms will definitely have personal guards."

"Okay… This place's security is truly impressive… Getting into any of those locations may be difficult…"

"But you can do it, right, Ice Queen?"

"Of course I can, Lady Luck."

"For the loading dock, it's pretty easy to access if you're an employee. Chief can probably set up surveillance in that area just fine and it's unlikely you'll be questioned in that security guard uniform." Classified said.

"Got it. I'm heading out," Karasuma confirmed over the radio.

"Monroe, come in," Classified called.

"Yeah, what is it?" Irina responded.

"I need you to lead the guard in front of room 315 away for awhile."

"Alright. Mr. President, Chem, I'm leaving the ballroom infiltration up to you."

"Notebook, when the guard's gone, enter that room."

"Understood."

"And, Lady Luck, change into civilian clothes and go up to the 7th floor. Be sure to bring rappelling gear with you."

"Rappelling gear?! Why do I need rappelling gear?"

"Because room 630 is being protected by three well-trained guards while room 315 only has one buffoon," Haven explained.

"Also, you have till twenty hundred to get this done," Classified added.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Noriko exclaimed.

"Yes. That's when the exchange will take place."

"Koopa Kid, Red Barron, did you know about this?"

"Yes," two unfamiliar voices answered.

"But it's already eighteen thirty now!"

"Well, then, get to work," a very deep voice replied with an audible smile.

"Didn't need to be told, Koopa Kid," Noriko sighed.

"You sure about that?" a different gruff voice snapped.

"Leave my partner alone, Red Barron," Classified sighed.

* * *

Jelavic peeked around the hall corner at the guard standing in front of room 315. He was built like a tank and his hardy expression resembled that of a wall, but this would be a piece of cake for her - she was a professional. Running through her plan and her six contingency plans once again through her head, she fixed her dress to accentuate her curves more fully and stepped out from around the corner.

She let her blue eyes roam the hall innocently as if she were lost and ran her hands through her hair, letting them float down towards the locks framing her curvaceous breasts. Jelavic caught his eyes when they finally lifted from her body but quickly looked away and bit her lip in a sexy smile. Tucking her hair behind her ears to show that she wanted to be open to him and batting her eyelashes, she slowly made her way over towards the guard, making sure her legs would flash him an occasional peek at tantalizing amounts of skin with each stiletto-clad step.

"I, erm, can I help you, miss?" he asked gruffly.

She paused and tilted her head, looking awfully embarrassed. "Well, you see, sir, I got a little tipsy at the party and got lost finding my room." He raised an eyebrow at her and crossed his arms. Jelavic cursed in her head, not liking the 'closed' body language he was giving her. She lightly ran her fingertips down his arm and smiled worriedly. "Couldn't you help little ol' me find my way to my room? Just for a minute? It won't take long… Unless you want it to be," she promised with a coy smile.

Scratching at a pink cheek with a finger, he turned hesitantly towards the door he was guarding. "Uh… I don't know."

Jelavic stepped closer to him and feigned curiosity at what he was doing when she was really positioning herself for the snare. She reached across his and touched the plated numbers on the door. "315? Oh, I believe I'm in room 357 but I really have no idea where that is," she pouted helplessly.

When the guard tried to turn back towards her, he accidentally more than grazed her chest. Jelavic pretended not to notice and began to tear up as she clasped her hands in front of her to accentuate her breasts even more. "Oh, won't you help me? I'm sure I can get back to my room safely if a big, strong man like you were to escort me!"

Stiffly, the guard nodded and awkwardly began down the hall. "Sure, but just for a minute, okay?"

"Okay!" Jelavic smiled happily. "You're a lifesaver, thank you!" The tall man guided Jelavic to the decoy room where she pushed him against the door in fluster. "You're so strong and handsome! Please, I just want to be with you!" He looked down at her in alarm but she draped her arms around his neck.

"No other man would be as kind as you. Other men would have tried to take advantage of me," she put on a pained and teary expression, hiding her mouth behind a delicate hand as she made eye contact with him. "I just want to repay you."

"I -"

"Shh…" she put a finger over his lips. "You don't have to say anything, just follow me." Jelavic pushed open the door behind her and lured the man in with a hand on his cheek. As soon as the door closed behind him, however, she struck him with taser and moved as his heavy body hit the floor. Looking unamused, she stepped on him and brought the comm to her lips. "Guard detained… Except for that hot and bothered thing in his pants," she muttered disgustedly.

"Did NOT need the details, NOT AT ALL!" Haven and half a dozen other people groaned. A few snickers could also be heard over the radio waves.

* * *

"You're giving your poor fiance hypothermia, Mr. President," Classified teased.

"Are those children even qualified for this type of work?" Red Barron scoffed.

"Second warning, Red Barron. Please leave my subordinates alone."

"You know, Mr. President, commenting on your fiancee's attire would definitely make you two seem more like a couple," Haven said.

Electricity shot through Fia's nervous system and she stiffened, having heard her teammates' comments.

Karma's cheeks flushed. It wasn't as if he didn't think Fia looked great in her dress, but with all the trouble he'd caused, he wasn't sure if she would want to hear it from him. "You look… not half-bad," he offered rigidly. There was a scoff in his ear.

Fia paused and turned her head to look over her shoulder at Karma. Olive eyes softened and she smiled tenderly at her partner. "Thank you…" she murmured, looking away and back towards the table their targets were sitting at alone.

The redhead ran his hands through his hair and took a step towards her, all while cursing himself. Shoving his comm temporarily into his pocket, he placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her back towards him. "I meant to say…" he began, tucking her loose bangs behind her ears and covering her comm, "that you look beautiful."

Cheeks darkened. "O-Oh, you d-don't -"

"I do. That looks nice on you and… That dress at the dance… You looked great then too. Um…" Karma's face reddened significantly and he stepped away from her before replacing his comm in his ear.

Nimble hands shyly fixed Karma's tie then hid behind Fia as she looked on with glowing ears. She hadn't realized that he'd noticed her at the Spring Fling at all. Furtively glancing at Karma, Fia had to wonder if he had already caught onto her feelings and where she should go from there. This whole ordeal had only made her want to be with him that much more.

"That was much more convincing," a voice called in over the comms.

This time, neither Karma nor Fia contested the commentary.

* * *

Noriko took a deep breath as she looked down. The wind whistled around her. Why had she gotten the rappelling job?

"I'm in," she heard Shiota say over the comms.

"Right. How's it going, Lady Luck?" Classified asked.

"It's my lucky day," Noriko shook her head ruefully as she started her descent.

"Just calm down. You know what you're doing. Remember the first time you went rappelling?" he reminded her.

"I recall you carried me over your shoulder and went out a window, saying, and I quote, 'protocol shmotocol.'"

"It can't be worse than that, and I don't think you can scream any louder either," Classified chuckled.

"At least I'm actually strapped in. That time I swear you were going to drop me, and we were ten stories up!"

"Oi, Lady Luck. Less chit chat, more work," a deep voice interjected.

"I'm going, I'm going, Koopa Kid." Noriko lowered herself to the balcony below. "Okay, I'm on the balcony. Now what?"

"Working on unlocking the door. Stand by," Haven said.

"Took you long enough to get down," another voice scoffed.

"Not sure how she could have gone any faster," Classified replied. "Third warning, Red Barron."

"Door unlocking in 3… 2… 1… now," Haven said. "I love completely automatic systems."

Noriko walked into the room silently. It was a spacious suite, typical of a place like this. She began setting up the cameras and bugs throughout the room, making sure they were well hidden and secure.

* * *

"Ice Queen here. Eyes and ears in each location have been confirmed. Satan and Chem, go to the hallway on the backside of the room. You have orders not to let anyone pass you guys for the next ten minutes or so," Haven reported through the comms.

Classified checked his watch. "Notebook, Chief, Lady Luck, hurry up and get out of there. The meeting time is approaching."

"I'm done," Karasuma informed him.

"Perfect. Go to room 730 and collect the rappelling gear once Lady Luck gets out," Classified replied.

"Got it." There was a shuffling as Karasuma sprung into action.

"You've been quiet for awhile now… Are you thinking about what happened yesterday?" Karma asked quietly as he leaned against one of the hallway walls.

Fia shook her head slowly and glanced down the hall. Seeing some nondescript people nearby, she responded with "No, as your fiance, I know we have our problems and disagreements, but as I said then - on the day you agreed to be my partner - I want to support you."

Karma couldn't help but smile, thinking back on the paintball fight at the Timo household. "Who knew that you would be the one to put a ring on it," he joked.

The Italian girl blushed but laughed as she looked down at the engagement rings they were wearing as part of their disguises.

"Do you like it?" Karma asked. He moved to stand in front of her as he took her hand and peered down into the faux diamond. "It took forever for me to pick out, you know."

"If passing a gadget along from Monroe to me required a lot of thought, maybe I'd believe you," Fia giggled. "I can't believe this little thing can hold so much… value?" she said, trying to find the hidden camera in the jewel.

"Keep staring at it like that and people might think you're only marrying me because I'm the heir to some rich -"

Fia pouted and interjected with "It's not that! I really, actually -"

Karma's eyes widened as Fia covered her mouth and dropped her gaze. Sighing softly, she glanced at the hall entrance again and tugged on Karma's sleeve. He looked over without turning his head to see their targets looking at them, shifting anxiously as if deciding whether or not to go through.

"We need to guard this hall," he mouthed to her.

"But how?" she mouthed back, biting her lip in concern.

He placed his hands on the wall on either side of her waist. "Don't move," he whispered as he pressed his lips against the corner of her mouth, far enough not to be considered a kiss but close enough to look like it to their targets. He pulled back and began gesturing to the hall as he spoke. "Our wedding can be in a reception hall just like this one."

"Y-Yeah…" Fia squeaked. She covered her pink face behind trembling hands. "T-That could be nice…"

"Don't be shy," Karma said as he sweat-dropped and moved to guide her along with him to the center of the hallway. "You're my fiance afterall. What do you think? Art or flowers on the walls?" he asked, gesturing towards a Rococo painting on the wall. He tried to portray themselves as a lovestruck couple with no intention of leaving any time soon as they planned their long, wonderful, gushy-mushy future together.

After exchanging a few hushed whispers, the two men turned and went back into main room. Karma sighed in relief and shot a concerned look at Fia, who was still paralyzed in shock.

"Not a terrible job, Satan, but you and Chem need to stay alert for another couple of minutes. There's a chance that the targets could come back… Chem, are you okay?"

"Ah, young love. I bet you guys aren't feeling so cold anymore, right?" Classified laughed before clearing his throat more seriously. "Lady Luck is out. Thanks for collecting the gear, Chief."

"No problem" Karasuma sighed. "Ice Queen, please call people by their official code names."

"Fine… but I think we all know who I was referring to," Haven muttered.

"It was not appreciated," Karma snapped.

"And yet you responded. It must be your true calling."

"Cut it out you two. Don't fill the airwaves with personal banter," Koopa Kid reminded them.

Fia squeezed Karma's arm and gave him an apologetic smile. He just sighed and shook his head. "Sorry about -"

"Don't worry about it," she said a little too curtly.

Realizing that the other had become awkwardly quiet, the both of them sighed to themselves, wondering if they'd done and said the right or wrong things. "How did -" both began, interrupting the other.

Karma rubbed the back of his neck. "You first."

"I know that… you're the heir to your parents' legacy… but is that what you want? I saw the books on our counter…" Fia said slowly, trying to convey her message through the farce of them being fiances.

He smiled wryly. "So you saw them… Yeah, I know I always said I hated my parents but…" Karma sighed. He had left his econ. textbooks in the kitchen while making himself a late dinner. Fia must have seen them when making breakfast the next morning.

She gently took his hand. If he wanted to be a bureaucrat and economy politician, she knew he could do it. "You'll be great. That's just the kind of person you are."

"You sure have a lot of faith in me," he said skeptically.

"I do. I trust you. You're one of the reasons I'm not afraid." She interlocked her fingers with his.

"You're… getting more direct," he noted quietly.

"Communication and socialization are keys as the fiance to someone of your high status, isn't it?" Fia giggled. "I go to these types of parties all the time," she joked more sarcastically.

Suddenly, the couple could see nothing and a scream rang out.

* * *

Fia: Waaaah! Who turned off the lights?

Karma: (Whispering) Don't grip my arm so hard - I'm sure our team will have them up and running again in no time. Trust us, okay?

Fia: (Nods slowly) O-Okay… Sorry, guys. We lost sight of the targets.

Noriko: I'm outside. I'll keep an eye out for any suspicious activity here.

Karasuma: Is everyone alright so far?

Jelavic: Man, am I glad to hear your voice. What the hell is going on?

Classified: Ice Queen, I need eyes and ears!

Haven: I'm working on it. Where's Notebook?

Classified: Come in, Notebook. What's your position? Notebook? Notebook!

Haven: (Quietly) Please come back safely...

Left Brain: Um… Just a note. I've reorganized where the chapters and spin-offs go. If you are logged into FanFiction, please do not leave a review on the spin-offs as their location will keep changing as the story progresses. If I've already told you this information, sorry to keep bringing it up.

Narrator: Next time, we get to see the boys in action and some teammates fall off the radar?


	36. Chapter 36: Mission Time 2nd Period

"Get the lights back up, now," Koopa Kid ordered.

"I'm trying! But if someone manually flipped the switch in the breaker room, there's not much I can do," Haven replied, typing furiously.

"Princess Peach, check the breaker," Koopa Kid directed.

"Mario's already on it, sir!" a young, feminine voice replied.

"We're trying to find our way out now but it's super dark in here and the people inside the center are panicking. Pushing through the crowd is going to be -" Fia yelped.

"Didn't I say not to let go of my hand?" Karma yelled. He fumbled to grab her hand in the dark.

"Everyone, calm down." Classified sighed over the comms.

"No-Name, you didn't 'protocol shmotocol' again, did you?"

"I thought it was you, Lady Luck. Guess not." Classified shrugged. "The student doesn't take after the master afterall."

"Seriously, what just happened?" Haven asked.

"Red Barron, did you do this?" Koopa Kid growled.

"Nope, the boys and I are still waiting in the truck, waiting for your signal. Did you guys mess up, No-Name?"

"Notebook, why aren't you out?" Classified asked in a worried voice, ignoring the annoying buzz in his ear.

"Two people came into the room. I haven't been able to leave," Nagisa whispered in an especially hushed tone.

"Where are you now? Are there any ventilation shafts?"

"The bathroom, no shafts in sight."

"What are you doing, Ice Queen? Why did you stop typing?"

"Looking for possible exits in the schematics."

"Stop. Go back to getting the lights back on."

"But-"

"No buts! Get the lights back on!" Koopa Kid called through the comms.

"He's my teammate, it's my job to watch his back."

"I don't know who trained you for missions, but they did a naive job of it. Any agent worth half their salt knows the job comes first. Watch your team's back my ass. If they can't handle themselves," Red Barron scoffed.

"Red Barron stop it! She's part of my team, not yours," Classified snapped before taking on a gentler tone. "Ice Queen, get the lights back on first. Notebook will be fine, but the others are wandering around in the dark. They need the light before we can retrieve Notebook. Got it?"

"Worst come to worst, we'll get him with the laundry in the morning when the maids clean the rooms," Koopa Kid said through the comms.

"Problems… Send Rosalina. Also, Ice Queen, watch our backs," a voice called through the comms.

"Coming, Mario!"

"Okay." Haven nodded as she went back to typing.

* * *

"All eyes re-established. Let's rescue Notebook now," Haven reported.

"Koopa Kid, you know what to do," Classified said.

"Mario, Princess Peach, and Rosalina, go back to the event and comment on the missing suspects. Try to form a search party for the targets."

"Yes, sir," three voices replied simultaneously.

"We got out alright," Karma called through the communication system. "We're going to re-group with Monroe for the time being."

"Wow, you guys are messing up. They're not going to do the transaction now. This entire evening turned out to be a waste of time."

"I hate pulling rank, but as your superior, Red Baron, I order you and your team to leave now. Your unit is no longer needed and your presence can only hinder the operation," Classified said.

"Yeah, I was about to do the same thing," Koopa Kid added.

"We might still be able to catch them tonight," Haven said and pointed to her screen, leaning away so Classified could see.

"Yes, I think we can. Lady Luck, are you still in that rappelling gear?" he asked.

"Not again!" Noriko audibly sighed.

"Room 730. Koopa Kid, We'll need your group's help as well."

"You heard him. Your orders are off for the moment," Koopa Kid called.

"Chief, make sure Red Barron follows orders. He's not known for being too good at that."

Karasuma nodded. "Got it. Take care of each other, Monroe, Chem, Mr. President."

Classified smiled. "Now, Chem, Mr. President, Notebook, and Monroe, Here's what we're going to do."

* * *

There was a knock on the door of room 315. "Room service!" a voice shouted loudly, obnoxiously, and repeatedly.

Annoyed, one of the targets, a tall man with definedly-shaped stubble and dressed in a grey suit threw open the door. "Can I help you?" he demanded, forcing a polite tone.

A particular Italian man smiled innocently. "Didn't you order room service?"

"No," he responded curtly, attempting to close the door.

Mario grabbed the edge of the door and pushed it open again, peeking his head in through the portal. "Really? Are you sure? I coulda sworn that someone placed a giant order for three steaks, completely rare, eighteen bottles of champagne, four shrimp platters, a sushi box, aaaaaaaaaannnnnddd one bucket o' fried chicken." He scratched at his head with a goofy smile.

"What kind of room service serves fried chicken? We didn't order that - take it away," the man demanded.

He frowned. "But, sir, I swear to you on the life of my great-great-great-great-great-great-great -"

"GET ON WITH IT."

"- great aunt's husband's sister's mother's granddaughter's dog's uncle's -"

"Did he say 'dog?'" the second target asked as he peered over his partner's shoulder.

"Just making sure you were listening~!" Mario said with a happy salute.

"Just leave it and leave then if it makes you happy," the first man grumbled.

Mario's shoulders sagged. "But, sir, if you could sign the receipt -"

"Sure, whatever, just hand it over."

The faux-delivery boy checked his pockets one-by-one, then again, then his pants, then his hat, then his tie, then the cart, then - The door was slammed suddenly on Mario and he smiled, leaving the next move to Irina and his boss.

"That kid was annoying," the suited man complained.

"I thought it was pretty funny." The other guy shrugged. "Now, about this… exchange of ours. The package is secure, right?"

"It's -"

Repeated thumping came from the nearest wall.

"It's -" he tried again.

Suddenly, the thumping became accompanied by panting, which became accompanied by moans, which became accompanied by screams.

One of the men stormed up to the wall and pounded on it repeatedly with his fist. "HEY! KEEP IT DOWN!"

The noises stopped for a moment, then two, only to give way to "Sounds like our neighbors are busy getting it on too! Come on, honey, let's show them how it's done!"

Faces flushed, the men nodded to each other and grabbed their coats before leaving the room in a hurry.

As soon as he couldn't hear the retreating targets anymore, Nagisa carefully made his way out of the bathroom and made his escape. He joined Jelavic and Koopa Kid in the hall and the trio ran out together.

* * *

"What happened to the guard you hired for the night?" One of the targets asked the other angrily as they rushed down a hallway on the sixth floor.

"Hell if I know. I thought you had booked the rooms around us!"

"I did! I'm sure I did!"

"Hey, boys," an elegant voice called from in front of them. Its owner was a woman with long, royal purple hair that framed golden eyes and a face the color of espresso walking towards them. "Wanna have some fun tonight?" she asked, fingering the hem of her crimson dress.

Leaning against the wall next to her, stood another woman in a short black dress, heels, and fishnet stockings. She twisted strands of raven hair around nimble fingers and stared at them coyly with ruby eyes.

"No, and get out of our way!" the first target snapped.

"It might not be a bad idea," the other said, looking at the younger woman in black. Noticing the attention, she winked at him.

"Your friend there has a point." The first woman draped an arm over the first man's shoulders. "You seem so stressed out, it can't be good for your health. A night with us would be the perfect remedy."

"Not interested. Now get off of me before I call security!"

"Whatever you wish." The purple-haired lady stepped to the side of the hallway. "We'll be in the VIP lounge if you change your mind," she called after them.

Just as the second man was about to turn the corner, the younger woman gave him a slip of paper. "If you ever want to meet up in private," she whispered. He nodded at her and smiled lecherously.

"Get over here! What's taking you so long!?"

"Coming!"

The girl pulled out a compact mirror and began fixing her lipstick. "They're in the cage," she said after she saw the reflection of the targets disappearing into a room in her mirror.

"Great! Mr. President, Notebook, it's your turn to shine," Classified called.

"Princess Peach, how could you give him your number?" a voice called through the comms. "I've been asking for years!"

"That's enough kids," Koopa Kid called. "Time to make ourselves scarce. Let's meet up in the VIP lounge."

"Yes sir," three voices replied. The two women paid no attention to the small bellhop they passed on their way to the elevators.

* * *

"What did you say?" one of the guards asked, staring at the redhead standing in front of him with a bored expression.

"We received a bomb threat and have been asked by the hotel to search all the rooms. Just standard protocol, you know?" Karma scratched at his ear with a finger. "You gonna move or what?"

"What if I say no?" a second guard huffed.

Karma smirked and flashed a shiny police badge to the guards. "Hey, man. I know you're just trying to do your job, but I'm just trying to do mine too. Now, are you going to move or am I going to have to have a talk with both of our bosses?"

"Fine, fine." The last of the three men unlocked the hotel room door and opened it.

Karma pushed past him with a "Gee, thanks for your hospitality" as the other pair of guards followed him through the doorway.

"What the hell did you not understand when I said not to let anyone in!" one of the culprits shouted at the trio.

"But he's official, boss!" the guard explained as Karma flashed them all the badge.

"Fine, let's get this done quickly."

"Of course," Karma smiled and walked into the center of the room. "Firstly, what are you two doing here tonight?"

"We were at the gala downstairs."

Karma walked around the room, "Oh, that. Why did you two leave?" He looked over his shoulder at the two men with a gaze like a hawk's.

"We're business partners. We wanted to talk business."

"Why not just stay there though. I mean, there's a lot of secluded places in the ballroom," Karma stopped in front of a large suitcase and nudged it with his foot.

"You never know who could be listening there."

"Understood. This suitcase," he pointed to the one he just nudged, "It's a bit big for an overnight. Mind if I search it?" Karma unzipped it to discover a young girl inside. She had dark hair and flinched back from the light. "Whoa there. You're safe now," Karma held up the badge for the girl to see before helping her out of the case. Four metallic clicks alerted him to the fact the men had their guns pointed at him.

Karma turned towards them. "You boys have some explaining to do." Karma backed towards the balcony, the young girl behind him. Suddenly, the doors flew open and Noriko ran in, still attached to her rappelling gear.

"Give them what they deserve," she said as she carried the child away.

"You got it," Karma glared at the four men.

"I've acquired the child," was the last thing he heard Noriko say before an onslaught of gunfire rang out.

"What a waste of bullets," Karma smirked as the last gunshot rang out, leaving him completely unscathed. At that moment, the doors opened. "Took you long enough," Karma called as Nagisa rushed in.

* * *

Nagissa watched Karma enter the room, followed by two of the three gargantuan guards. Good, it would be a one on one. Nagisa analyzed the hallway, Karma yacking away in his ear.

"I'm going to neutralize the guard," Nagisa said as he walked into the hallway. He walked up to the giant at a casual pace.

"What are you doing here? Aren't bellhops supposed to stay at the front desk?" the man asked.

Nagisa smiled and lunged at the man, effectively getting behind him. He tugged down on the back of the man's collar with his left arm. He grabbed his own right shoulder before wrapping his right arm around the man's neck and grabbing onto his left upper arm to lock his position. After holding the position for a few seconds, which applied pressure to the windpipe, the spinal cord, and the carotid artery simultaneously, Nagisa tied the unconscious man's hands, ankles, and knees together with zip ties and headed into the room.

"Took you long enough," the redhead called.

"Sorry, I had to tie up loose ends."

Fia's scream caused both boys to rush to the balcony.

* * *

"I've acquired the child," Noriko said as she adjusted the young girl on her hip and began descending again. Suddenly, a shot rang out and the pair went swinging. "Don't worry kid. It went above our heads." Noriko look up and saw the rope unraveling above them. "Here you go, Chem." Sure to not alarm Fia and the child, Noriko handed the child carefully to Fia. A ripping sound made both women look up. The wire had unraveled and was connected by an almost invisible thread. "It was nice knowing you," Noriko looked at Fia and forced a smile before there was a loud snap and she dropped out of sight.

"NORIKO!" Fia reached for the ginger woman but was too far to do any good, especially with the child in her arms. Remorsefully, she tucked the child's face into her neck and retreated into the room. She would have wanted to watch until the end, but she knew that consoling the child would be her highest priority now.

"Hi, sweetie," Fia called softly as she ran her fingers through the girl's black hair. "Things will be alright now. I promise you."

* * *

"Get them!"

"This isn't even a challenge," Karma sighed as one of the guards lunged at him, an attack he easily sidestepped.

"Speak for yourself," Nagisa replied as he dodged a series of punches from the other guard.

"Oh, back for more, are we?" Karma asked as the man rushed him again. This time, Karma grabbed the front of his shirt, swung him 90 degrees, and threw him down before simultaneously giving him a knee to the abdomen and an elbow to the back. Next, he hit the giant at the base of his neck with the side of his hand, effectively rendering the man immobile. He let the unconscious man hit the floor before walking over to Nagisa, who was standing over an unconscious man who was tied up with zipper ties. "Mind giving me some?" Everyone stared at him, horrified by his brutal strength and ruthless tactics. "What? Zipper ties, please. He's not going to stay unconscious forever."

Suddenly, a shot rang out and Karma hissed at the burning sensation that exploded on the side of his waist where crimson began leaking onto his shirt. Nagisa looked at the culprits; One had a smoking pistol in his hand.

"Oh my, you're not as pathetic as I thought," a female voice called from behind them through the open doors.

"Princess Peach!" Mario complained.

"We're here as back up… Looks like we're a bit late though," Koopa Kid smiled ruefully.

* * *

Nagisa walked out of the building and looked around. Red, blue, and white lights flashed to the left. News crews swarmed around as the two main criminals were escorted to the police cars. The bluenette walked the other way around the building. He heard a car door behind him slam open and the sounds of someone running towards him. Suddenly, something hit him from behind and arms locked around his waist.

"Haven, will you let go now?"

"No."

"Not even so I can turn around and hug you back?"

"No."

"Not even loosen up a bit so I can breath?"

"Um… No."

Classified chuckled as he passed the couple.

"So, how you feeling, kiddo?" the green-haired man asked as he hopped up onto the back of the ambulance and sat next to the young girl being treated there. She looked up at the man with suspicion in her eyes and pulled the orange blanket tighter around her shoulders. "I won't hurt you," Classified put his hands up. "Do you speak English?" The child nodded her head. "Will you tell me your name?" The girl shook her head and glanced at the yelling woman behind her.

"No! No! No! No! Don't let them talk to each other before you question them!" Noriko yelled into her cellphone. "And be sure to search for suicide pills and other weapons." She slammed the phone shut.

"Nice landing earlier," Classified grinned at his bandaged up partner.

"Yes, you're sitting next to my landing spot was not appreciated," Noriko replied curtly as she began unwrapping the ace bandages around her wrist and ankles.

"Hey, I'll always be around to catch you if you need me to," Classified began rewrapping the bandages. "Keep those on. How many stories did you fall?"

"Only two and a half."

"And you survived how?"

"I grabbed onto some of the tree branches on the way down, breaking the fall, the routine stuff."

"And here I thought you were trimming the trees!"

"Travis!"

"Still wrong. You were close once, long ago."

"WHAT?!"

Classified laughed and looked away from his fuming friend. His eyes landed on a redhead being tended to by an Italian.

Karma's orange eyes peered into puffy peridot ones as they focused on the graze wound Fia was treating. He tapped an olive cheek, stained red from stress, lightly with his fingers. Fia looked up at Karma slowly with a rueful smile.

"Sorry, did that hurt?" she inquired quietly.

"Yup," he responded flatly.

"O-Oh, I'll be more careful with the next one…" she uttered under a sigh as she slumped forward, her body losing its strength to stand tall.

Karma scowled slightly. "It didn't hurt," he admitted.

"Oh."

"I was lying."

"Oh."

"I wanted to see if you were really paying attention."

"Oh…"

Grabbing Fia's hands and forcing her to stop disinfecting his wound for a moment, Karma demanded her full attention. "Are you alright? Shouldn't you be happy? They're going to question those criminals and recover the missing girls."

She opened her mouth to speak but shook her head quickly. "No, I… I just can't believe people like those men exist. Everyone has the right to life… until they intrude on that same right of another person. And to be so cruel to another human being is… disgusting. I don't understand how anyone can willingly treat other human beings like that. I hope they find the justice they deserve," she said solemnly.

Karma placed his hand on her head and gently smoothed down her hair. "I know you're upset… but I talked to Classified and he gave the a-ok for you to see the kid once she's been treated at the hospital and before she goes back to her rightful home."

Fia sighed in relief and threw her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you…"

He slowly brought his arms around her and held her tightly to his chest. "Ready to go home?"

"Yeah, let's go home…" she smiled into his shirt.

"Can I carry my fiance back?" Karma gave her a toothy smile.

"What?! No!" Fia playfully shoved him. "Besides, Ms. Jelavic took the ring back."

"Aw… Should I get you a new one?"

"As long as it's a pretty one."

"As pretty as the girl it's for?"

"Q-Quit teasing me, Karma."

"No can do, Tsu-chan~. It's just way too much fun!"

"CAN YOU DROP THAT NAME ALREADY?"

Laughing lightly, the two walked back to the van for the long drive back to the apartments.

* * *

Mario: Princess Peach, how could you!?

Princess Peach: Sorry, Mario, all is fair in love and war. Koopa Kid!

Koopa Kid: Heh Heh! Gotta pay attention. Those blue shells are dangerous, Mario. You should know not to get cocky by now.

Rosalina: You have no room to talk. I'm in the lead now.

Koopa Kid: What? How?

Rosalina: Wouldn't you like to know.

Princess Peach: And I win, again.

Rosalina and Koopa Kid: HOW?!

Princess Peach: I got the invincibility star~!

Mario: Stupid Mario Kart. Who wants to play Mario Party instead?

Princess Peach, Rosalina and Koopa Kid: YES!

Narrator: And this, friends, is how to de-stress after a long mission. Next chapter, Fia's in the spotlight. I promise she'll put on a good show.


	37. Chapter 37: Opening Curtain Time

Karma walked into the kitchen to find Fia mumbling as she stood in front of the sink. With her eyes fixed on the stream of running water, she was leaning forward as if taking a measurement on a graduated cylinder. Occasionally, she would touch a finger to the falling liquid in a quick temperature test. The redhead approached her from behind a tapped on her shoulder.

Startled out of her focused state, the girl jumped and squeaked involuntarily as she whipped around and put her hands up as if to defend herself from an assailant. Even if her posture was sturdy, a pout graced her lips under a pink cloud that floated across her cheeks and nose. Green eyes widened.

"Karma?" Fia stared up at the redhead, who was not attempting to hide his bemused smile whatsoever, for a few moments in shock before real recognition and excitement sprung into her countenance. "Karma!" She grabbed his hands. "Will you help me with something?"

"Uh, sure?" Karma watched Fia approach a familiar box on the counter where two red birds were perched and watching her curiously. She held out her hand and waited for the two to hop into her palms, carrying them back over to him. He stared at her optimistic smile with slight skepticism. "What exactly am I helping you with?"

Fia let the birds hop onto the sink faucet and she gingerly took Karma's hands into her own. She took a place next to him at the sink and cupped his hands under the warm water next to hers. Aka and Fuoco hopped first to the couple's arms and then, cautiously, down into the makeshift bird bath.

"A bird bath! My hands aren't big enough to do this for the both of them so you're a big help." The Italian giggled as the pair began splashing around but smiled with more concern as water pooled and cascaded unevenly around their hands.

"This isn't right. Hold on." Karma carefully lifted an arm up and moved it around Fia. Standing with his arms on either side of her, he managed to situate his hands around hers to create a more symmetrical bowl for the birds.

Blushing but smiling, Fia nodded appreciatively. She looked up at him over her shoulder. "Thanks, Karma."

Orange eyes peered down into the other girl's face. "Why the heavy-ass makeup?"

Fia sweat-dropped as she averted her gaze. "The first showing of the musical is in a few hours. We have to go really heavy-handed on the makeup so we don't get washed out by the stage lighting," she explained quickly.

"Right, because the wallflower who blends into the background and can't speak would never get washed out," he said sarcastically, tongue stuck out of his mouth.

Nudging him with her elbow, Fia scowled slightly as color erupted across her face. "J-Jerk! W-Who asked you to n-notice anyway? I hope you know that my mascara can be used as a weapon!"

"Pfft." Karma dropped his chin onto her her head. "Can't spell tsundere without 'u,' can we?" he replied. "Or chubby and clumsy for that matter."

"Hey!" Fia pouted but didn't retaliate so that she didn't disturb the birds. Cheeks darkening, she muttered. "Can't spell chuunihan without 'u' either… Or mischievous and underhanded for that matter."

"I'll take that as a compliment," the redhead smirked.

Fia turned around with a serious face, ready to retaliate by splashing water at him, but broke into a giggle as soon as she found Karma's playful smile. "Oh, alright." She shut off the faucet and guided the birds back to the counter. Letting the water fall from between her fingers like satin ribbons, she then grabbed a towel, drying first Karma's hands carefully and then her own.

He averted his gaze and found the birds preening themselves on the counter. "Aka's wing looks better." Karma noted absentmindedly. "You took good care of her."

She looked up at him with an embarrassed smile. "Thanks. I… I actually planned on letting her test it out today. Would you… maybe want to join me? I-If you've got nothing better to do anyway, I mean, you might as well, n-not saying that you have to o-of course!"

"Are you asking me out on a date?" He smirked and poked her puffy pink cheek. "Sure, I'll go with you."

* * *

Laughing about trivial things, Fia and Karma sat together on the field with the open, empty box resting between them. As they talked, the two cardinals hopped around in the grass as Aka made a few trial flaps.

"I'm serious!" Fia asserted adamantly as she shoved Karma's arm. "It was terrible! Because I refused to let her teach me her secret technique after the last mission, Ms. Jelavic pinned me down and told me that she wouldn't let go until I could assemble a model figure with. my. tongue. in thirty seconds or less! My previous record was at least double that…"

"Talk about tasting defeat." The redhead only laughed more. "Did you finally get it?"

"No!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I choked!"

Karma snickered. "Too embarrassed?"

"I actually choked! Like, literally choked," Fia admitted. She bit back her lip under scarlet cheeks.

"Wait… Seriously?" Karma stared at her in disbelief before breaking out into laughter. "So, instead of letting her kiss you, you opted for the kiss of death?"

"It's not funny! This is my first kiss we're talking about!" she protested. "And choking is the only reason she let me go!"

The taller male dropped his hand on her head and ruffled her hair, an action to which the girl pouted profusely. "Speaking of letting go, I think it's about time to say goodbye to your birds."

"Oh!" Fia turned towards her avian friends to find them perched on Karma's shoes and watching her patiently. "Were you waiting for me?" Stretching forward onto her stomach, she extended her hands to them. When the pair hopped into her palms, she gave each a quick kiss on the beak and an affectionate whistle. Aka sang back a happy tune while Fuoco crooned a more melancholy melody. Fia sat up slowly and brought the musical couple to Karma.

He scoffed. "Take care, troublemakers," he said dismissively but with a slight smile on his face. He placed his hands under Fia's for support and, hearing a last pertinent chirp, the two lifted their hands up together. Karma watched the pair fly off together and disappear into the azure blanket of sky, only breaking contact when he felt a warm body lean back against him.

" _Rocambolesco!"_ Fia cried out in happiness. She turned to look up at Karma with glittering eyes and gripped his sleeve. "Wasn't that super cool?! Even the clouds look like birds flying into the distance today~."

"Yeah… I'm surprised you aren't crying. You're always so sentimental," he teased. He expected to see a pout or hear a whine, not to see the contemplative, far-off gaze she turned to the sky.

"I will miss them, but I know a thing or two about needing to be free…" Fia said slowly. "About needing to let things go… and get things off your chest."

"Sounds like you've been doing a lot of thinking," he observed coolly.

Fia laughed dryly. "The thought has been on my mind for some time."

"Must have been a long and lonely journey."

"H-Hey! … Okay, I fell straight into that one, but that was mean!"

Karma rested his head on her shoulder with an apologetic sigh. "Sorry, but you seemed so tense. It's not like you not to smile through things. What's bothering you?"

"I have something I need to let go of." Gingerly, she shrugged him off and turned to face him. Fia bit her lip. Was this really okay? Even though he'd long stopped bringing girls home, Karma had never expressed any interest in her and she didn't want to make things any more awkward than they already were. "Karma, I…" Losing confidence, she faltered slightly. It might not be the right time to say it, but she needed to stop choking down her feelings.

"I've always had trouble talking to other about how I feel. You… You made speaking easier, being me easier. So… It's ironic that I can't figure out what to say now." She laughed nervously over a shy smile as she searched his face for emotion.

Unable to gauge his reaction, Fia sighed and continued. "Thank you doesn't even begin to cover what I'm grateful for and how I feel about you… You…" Cheeks flushing, Fia resolved herself to just put her feelings in as straight-forward a manner as she could. "I love you, Karma." The words were wisped away from her lips like white dandelion seeds lured away by the wind. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, lingering for only a moment before pulling back with a melancholy smile. "Waiting… Was completely worth it. I wish I could do that again…"

Orange eyes stared down at Fia in shock. Red-faced, Karma opened his mouth to speak but Fia's phone began singing "Ring! Ring-Ring! Ring-Ring! Pick up your phone~!" She sweat-dropped, paling as she, obviously terrified by the sound of this particular ringtone, fumbled with her phone in an attempt to answer it.

"Director!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking into a high-pitched squeak. "I-I was just about to call -"

"FIAMMETTA TIMO, WHERE ARE YOU?" a very acidic voice yelled through the phone. "You were supposed to be here an hour, fifteen minutes, and ten seconds ago. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen… Need I continue? If I do not see you within five minutes, I'm sending out the understudy tonight."

Tears leaped into Fia's eyes as she scrambled to her feet in a fluster and held the phone at an arm's length away to avoid a burst eardrum. "I'll be there, Brian! I promise! I'll be there in no more than ninety-five seconds!" With that, she shot Karma an apologetic look and began wiping her eyes as to not ruin her makeup.

"That's quite the promise. I'll hold you to it. I'm calling the understudy in ninety-five, ninety-four, ninety-three, ninety-two, ninety-one, ninety, eighty-nine -" Brian counted down.

" _DIO!_ " Fia hung up and shoved her phone in her pocket and looked to Karma. "Could you say 'hike?' Now?" Her tone was pleading, with a desperate sense of urgency, and all he could do to respond was nod stiffly and mutter the word in reply. Even so, at that, she took off running towards the theater on the opposite side of campus and screaming "SCREW THE QUARTERBACK! SCREW YOU, BRIAN!"

Watching Fia disappear into the distance, Karma leaned back and stared up at the sky. He cursed himself under his breath and fell back against the grass, looking towards the empty box that once held two striking red birds. She had flown off, and he had let her.

* * *

Huffing, Fia threw herself through the theater's double doors. "HA! THIRTY-EIGHT SECONDS LEFT!" She collapsed onto her hands and knees.

"I already called the understudy just in case," a man with wavy chestnut hair standing in front of her said, violet eyes glued to his watch.

Fia's shoulders sagged as she crumpled to the floor like a paper doll. "But… I-I guess I can be a stage hand…" She sniffled from her melted form on the floor. Her lip quivered but she forced a resolved look onto her face.

"I'm joking, but just barely," Brian replied flatly. "Peter, pick up your partner and get her in the changing rooms. Fix her makeup while you're at it and make sure she gets to her mark on time."

"Sure thing!" Peter saluted Brian with two fingers and, whistling, picked Fia up bridal-style and carried her towards the changing room.

As she was set down in a chair in front of a lit mirror, Fia pouted. "I can fix my own makeup," she said with a sigh. 'Besides, Ms. Jelavic will kill me if I don't practice,' she added mentally.

Peter laughed and adjusted his vest and hat in the mirror. "I know that. You were really late today. Did you get everything resolved with your family?"

"Not exactly," Fia replied as she lightly touched up her makeup with a big brush. "I'm… not actually expecting my family to show up tonight, but at least I got my point across, right?"

"Right." Peter laughed as he pulled over Fia's costume and began helping her fix her long locks into a more manageable style. "So, are you going to the We-Hate-Brian party after the show?"

Fia sweat-dropped. "The what?"

"Oh, that's right. You're new to theater here. Every production since Brian-the-Tyrant took over, all of the actors, stage crew members, and techies decide to get together and throw a We-Hate-Brian afterparty. It'll be in my house this year."

"Your house?" Fia blushed. "Isn't Brian your housemate?!"

"Yeah! My roommate, actually" he responded cheerfully. "He's the star of the show, so to speak. He never misses it."

Fia laughed nervously. "I'll see how I'm feeling after the show. I have the jitters."

"If you've got the jitters to do the jitterbug, you're more than welcome to dance with me at the party~. Just relax." Placing the last bobby-pin into place, Peter squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. "Go get changed. I'll see you onstage!"

"That was really cheesy, even for you!" The girl giggled and shot her reflection a determined look. "Alright. Let's do this!"

* * *

Karma stared at the pair of tickets in his hand that read "West Side Story" in a fancy font. Looking around from his seat in the front row on the left-most third of the theater, Karma spotted Nagisa and Haven sitting together in the balcony seating.

"Well, look who it is," a deep voice called. Karma shifted his gaze upwards to see a familiar Italian man looming over him with a friendly smile. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all," Karma replied as he moved his jacket so Giovanni could take the seat beside him.

The older man stretched in his seat and let out a satisfying sigh as he surveyed the stage area. "Are you here to see _mia bambina_ shine on stage?" Jadeite eyes glimmered with pride.

"I… Guess you could say that." Karma bit a nail in thought before turning back towards Giovanni. "Where's the rest of the family, Don?"

"Last time I checked, at home," he replied slowly. "I'm not sure if Florence will show, but this is Fia's first show since Felix passed away." Giovanni smiled wryly. "You don't have to look at me like that; I've come to terms with it already." He paused, humming very much like his daughter does when thinking things over. "I'm surprised she got up on that stage again. I guess I have you to thank for that, Karma."

"What do you mean?"

"She has her passions, but she's been taking care of us for so long that I was starting to wonder whether or not she remembered how to be herself. Fia opens up around you. No one makes her laugh like you do or drives her crazy like you do." Giovanni answered with a chuckle. "In fact, every time she comes home, she talks about you. It's usually about how you annoyed her that week, but it's never without a smile. Every time the kids try to say anything about you, she pushes back with 'Karma's great!' 'That's just how he is.' 'You would be surprised.' or something else along those lines."

"I didn't know she thought so highly of me," Karma muttered.

Giovanni smiled and ran his hand along his stubbled chin. "Why wouldn't she?"

Karma averted his eyes, thinking back on his actions over the last few weeks. "What if I'm not as great as she thinks? You're her old man - you wouldn't want someone like me to hurt your daughter."

"I don't think that matters to her, and I support the decisions my daughter wants to make." Giovanni shrugged. "Don't worry about your mistakes. You'll find that our Timo girls often try to take on the world on their own. That makes them incredible at calling out bullshit, but also accepting people for who they truly are so long as you give them the same luxury. They know that we have made our mistakes, that we have blood on our hands, and that they care about us anyway." He stared down at his open hands and clenched them into tight fists, willing away the red stains that would never actually leave him. "My daughter told me that mistakes are proof that you are still trying. Besides, mistakes are always forgivable if you can admit to them."

Karma sighed heavily. "That's real optimistic of you. I don't know about that."

"Even if you don't come to be a couple." He looked at Karma with a serious expression. "Regardless of what happens," he whispered, trying again, "You will always be welcome in our family." Orange eyes widened but couldn't bring themselves to meet the sincere green ones fixed on them. Giovanni patted Karma's back with a strong hand. "Show's about to begin."

Before Karma could respond, the lights began pulsing and finally dimmed, alerting the audience to the beginning of the show. Begrudgingly, he sat back in his seat and watched as a stern-looking brunette walked onto the stage with a tablet in his hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our production of 'West Side Story.' We have spent many a tumultuous, arduous, tedious night on the stage -"

Fia, from backstage, felt as if every word were directed at her, verbalized arrows being shot through her body by a vengeful spirit. Feeling weak, she grabbed onto Peter for support.

"- but enough from the lowly director." Brian smirked ever so slightly. "I will humbly allow our actors and actresses to lay out for you their labor of love." He shot a pointed look at Fia, standing just out of sight from the audience at the side of the stage.

The Italian turned on her heel and attempted to make an escape, knowing that he was insulting her unwillingness to kiss Peter, but was picked up by the waist by the said green-haired boy. She flailed and struggled, then sighed and fell limp as Brian walked past them with a satisfied gleam in his eyes.

Peter smiled apologetically at Fia and rubbed her back comfortingly. "Break a leg," he mouthed as the curtains flew open like wings ready for flight and the opening scene played out.

* * *

As intermission began, Nagisa turned to look at Haven with surprised azure eyes. "I didn't realize Fia was so good at acting."

"Yeah, Tsu-chan should really incorporate this into her missions," Haven noted as she leaned against his shoulder.

Nagisa smiled wryly. "I can see why it would be harder for her to stick to expectations. Still, it seems like she's doing a lot better now than a couple days ago." Nodding solemnly in agreement, Haven sighed. Nagisa smiled and nuzzled Haven gently. "I'm glad you're doing better too, Haven."

She blushed and buried her face in his shoulder. "Thanks, Gisa…"

Karma stood to stretch his legs. He looked over his shoulder to see that Giovanni was staring intently at the stage, precisely where his daughter was just standing in the last scene.

"Hey, Don. You alright?"

"Yeah, I just… I wish the rest of my family could see this. She's doing so well." Giovanni admitted with teary, proud eyes.

"Speak of the devils and they shall come," the redhead noted as he gestured with his chin to the fashionable Italian woman and her two children as they weaved their way down the aisle and to the front.

Without saying a word, Florence sat down beside her husband. She wore a removed expression on her face and nonchalantly inspected her nails, searching like a bloodhound for any nonexistent chips.

By contrast, Gio and Lupe were shoving each other, arguing as usual.

"Keep rolling your eyes!" Gio cried. "Maybe you'll find a brain back there!" He scowled and took a seat next to his mother, closer to the aisle in case the child had something up her floral sleeve.

"Ugh. I would make fun of you, but you just wouldn't understand it," Lupe replied arrogantly, climbing into her father's lap.

"Shouldn't you have a license for being that idiotic?" Gio muttered under his breath.

"Sorry? What was that? Your meager existence didn't register in the world I'm running. I don't care what you think of me - I don't think of you at all!" She retorted childishly.

"Yeah, well, if I wanted to kill myself, I would climb up to your ego and jump to your I.Q." Gio spat back.

"Oh, is that how it is? I don't care if you don't like me. It's fine, actually. You can have terrible tastes. You have no one to blame but yourself."

"You know, I get really emotional when you're gone… It's something I like to call HAPPINESS."

"Who gives you the right to pick on a little girl?!"

"A little girl? You're the devil!"

"Well, your outfit is ugly."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

Karma sighed and lightly rapped his knuckles against their foreheads. "As much as I love throwing senseless insults around, aren't we all here for your sister?"

The two huffed and turned away from each other with their arms crossed and bottom lips jutting out.

"Who would have thought the delinquent would be the responsible one?" Gio mumbled under his breath.

"What did you just call me?" Karma asked, an eyebrow raised.

Gripping his armrests in fear, he stammered "N-Nothing!" and whipped out his phone for an excuse not to interact with the taller male any longer.

Lupe giggled as a mischievous smile played onto her lips. "So, here to see your girlfriend?"

Karma growled slightly but fell back into his seat with a sigh. "No, not really…"

Giovanni set Lupe down and gestured for her to join Gio in the seats near the aisle. Florence gave a curious look to her husband and the redhead slumped in his seat beside him.

* * *

Florence rubbed her temples, ignoring the actors bowing on stage and the people moving towards the exits. "Would you stop crying, Giovanni? It was acting, acting. Your daughter is waiting for you outside those doors!"

He continued to bawl into his hands, much to Karma's alarm and his children's boredom. "But!" He snorted loudly to keep his nose from running. "More than that it was about star-crossed lovers! Doesn't that stir even a little bit of something in you, _amore?_ "

The woman's countenance relaxed and her arms, formerly folded across her chest, came to rest at her sides. "Yes, now… Please, Giovanni." She tried more softly. "People are staring."

Giovanni jumped to his feet and swept Florence up in his arms, dipping her to place a kiss on her lips. Now grinning one of his signature charming smiles, he laughed. "We are the conquerors of love! Not a tragic Romeo and Juliet, but a couple content to be with their family, no?" He set her down gently and gave her a knowing, soft smile.

Florence nodded slowly. "Yes, well, let's just hope she forgives me." She gingerly took Giovanni's hand and they began making their way up the aisle.

"Ew…" Gio spat disgustedly. "They're being all lovey-dovey and stuff…"

Lupe took Gio's hand in hers. "That's just 'cause you're jealous."

"Am not!" He pouted embarrassedly but protectively guided his younger sibling through the crowd with surprising ease after their parents.

Karma paused for a few moments before filing out behind everyone else. He smiled as he saw Peter and Fia greeting people with happy expressions next to Brian, who wore his signature scowl, even as he shook the hands of several people who approached them. The redhead smiled involuntarily; he was happy for her.

Nagisa and Haven made their way to Fia and she threw her arms around them, looking relieved. She laughed embarrassedly, probably to a compliment, and waved them off as she turned, in surprise, to see her family.

Gio pulled out a crushed bouquet - typical - and dead-panned when Lupe stuck her tongue out at him and pulled out a larger, more lush one - also typical. Laughing, Fia pulled both of them into a hug and graciously took the flowers, holding each bunch equally in her arms.

She squeaked as she was thrown into the air and caught by her father. Giggling, she buried her face into his neck as he spun her around and set her down again. Fia gestured animatedly towards Brian and Peter and then back to herself, her face wearing her tale of struggle, satisfaction, and pride.

Fia's face immediately froze when her gaze fell on her mother. Karma didn't know whether or not it was a subconscious move, but took notice when Fia turned her bruised cheek, unnoticeable under the makeup, away from the woman. Florence approached Fia carefully and pulled a neatly-folded, albeit wrinkled, sheet of paper out from her purse and handed it to Fia.

The girl looked in disbelief at her mother and then pulled her into a tight embrace full of tears and solemnly happy smiles. When they pulled back, Florence wiped away Fia's tears and placed her hand over her daughter's heart with a cold look of resolution. Green eyes widened in surprise, but Fia nodded and pulled her mom into another tight hug, mouthing "I will."

Shortly after, Fia waved off her family and leaned against one of the walls of the building with an exhausted sigh. Excusing herself from the crowd, she found her way to the foyer, cool from the night air sneaking in through opening and closing doors. She smiled absentmindedly up at the ceiling, ignoring the sigh from the redhead sitting next to her on the bench.

"What a show! Did you see that actress up there? Did she even know what she was doing?" Fia exclaimed with a mock critical tone.

Karma couldn't suppress a snicker. "You did fine, Fia."

She tilted her head and leaned forward to get a better look at his face. "Really? It wasn't a half-bad performance?" she asked, throwing his most-used qualifier back at him.

"No, not bad at all." He smiled and gestured towards the papers in Fia's hands. "What are those?"

She blushed and tried to smooth over the wrinkles under her hand carefully, suddenly self-conscious and concerned that the papers might only be an illusion. "It's… I'll tell you guys about it soon, okay?" Fia smiled at Karma slowly. "I'm glad you came to the show, Karma. I was -"

"Fiammetta, are you not coming to my We-Hate-Brian party?" a familiar voice inquired. "You can't miss it."

Fia sweat-dropped, unable to deny the director. "Y-Yes! Coming!" She gave Karma a quick kiss on the cheek. "I mean it. Thank you." She turned on her heel and ran towards Brian. Laughing, she fell into step with him and joked. "Would you be opposed to me borrowing something from costume check?"

"Only if you will wear the clown suit and act as the entertainment for the party."

She nearly tripped when her step faltered. "I was k-kidding!"

"As was I," he replied curtly without his voice changing at all. "We don't need a clown. Peter will suffice." Violet eyes shone with bemusement.

"Oh, Brian…" she sighed as the two started down the hall. "How was my performance?" Fia choked out the question, afraid of the answer.

"How about I answer that at the end of the last performance, hm?" Brian mused. "One critique will be enough, I presume?"

Karma sighed as the two rounded the corner and disappeared, leaving him alone again.

* * *

Fia opened the door to the apartment with a quiet " _Ciao~!"_

Peter peeked his head in curiously through the doorway. "Who's going to answer you at 3 in the morning?"

"Perhaps, the cold, creeping voice of insanity?" Brian suggested as he entered.

Giggling, Fia let Peter in and closed the door behind them. She bent down to take off her shoes and dusted herself off. "Thanks for walking me back!"

The boy with the oceanic hair and earthy eyes laughed. "If I didn't, would I really be Tony?"

Fia playfully shoved him. "I'm sure Maria can handle herself."

"I suppose she can," Brian mused with the corners of his mouth upturned ever so slightly.

Wide-eyed, Fia leaned in to whisper into her co-lead's ear. "Was that… approval?"

Peter flipped his hair out of his eyes. "I don't know. It's always hard to tell with him," he whispered back.

"I can hear you." The brunette shot the pair an impatient look. "How well can those two really handle themselves if they both died, hm?"

"Eep! We've been caught." Feeling guilty, Fia chewed on the inside of her cheek and lowered her gaze.

"…"

"I can hear you," Brian repeated without so much as a change in intonation.

Peter dead-panned. "I didn't say anything that time! So you're a mind reader now?"

"I have my ways," he responded curtly. "I can't quite believe you two decided to jitterbug at my party."

"I can't believe you threw darts at a photo of your own face - and got them straight through your eyes!" Fia cried in dismay.

Peter playfully punched Brian's shoulder. "Party sounds so arbitrary when you say it, Bri'."

Fia pouted. "But Peter invited me to dance! Besides who doesn't like to cut loose -"

"Footloose -" Peter chimed in.

"Kick of your Sunday shoes -" she sang.

Peter spun Fia quickly. "Oo-wee, Marie, shake it, shake it for me -"

Brian spoke with a dead voice as he separated them. "Yeah, Jack, get back, before I make that the next musical."

Fia sweat-dropped embarrassedly and whispered, "You know, knowing him, that means he'll make us memorize that and four other scripts for auditions."

"You're probably right but the auditions for the fall play will hopefully be a little less tedious," Peter replied helpfully.

"I can hear you. Besides, who's to say that it will be? I have much planned for you two."

"But Peter is graduating and I'm… Fall semester might not be the best time for me to tryout for auditions here," Fia mumbled.

The upperclassman dropped his hand onto the slumped shoulder of his underclassman. "Why's that?"

"O-Oh, nothing. You'll all find out soon enough!" She waved her hand dismissively. "Peter, thank you for being my mentor throughout this whole experience. I know you'll only do amazing things in grad. school! Brian… Brian… I know you made me cry at least once a rehearsal and that you have a glare that's made camera lenses shatter and costumes rip and souls die, but I couldn't have put on a great show without you and… Thank you. I'll see you at the next spring auditions?

Brian raised an eyebrow. "Just because you had a role this time does not guarantee you a spot next year."

"I-I know that! But I'm going to try anyway - Someone has to annoy you once Peter is gone!" Fia gave Brian a determined smile.

Brian smirked. "As well as make my coffee, fetch my pens, clean my tablet screen, lock up the theater, make the costumes, paint the sets, break up the fights, mop up the tears -" he added.

Fia paled, turning towards Peter with a look of dismay. "I-Is that really what you have to do most of the time?"

"Well… Yeah, kind of. It's not so bad when you get used to it." He shrugged a shoulder and put his hand on his hip.

"Yeah, but… Your whole life is dedicated to theater, and Brian is the embodiment of theater!" she protested.

"And yours isn't?" Brian clicked his tongue.

The girl shuddered in terror and broke out into a cold sweat. "O-Of course it is!"

"Was that poor acting or an even poorer attempt at deception?" Violet eyes found olive ones, looking anything but amused.

Peter laughed. "Isn't it the same thing?"

"Pff -" Fia giggled. "Anyway, I should probably get some sleep. Goodnight, Peter! Goodnight, Brian! I hope you enjoy the rest of the We-Hate-Brian party. I'll let you in on a secret. None of us actually hate you! We're really grateful and you're… surprisingly cool.

Brian crossed his arms. "Surprisingly?"

Peter patted the short man's back. "Let it go, Brian."

Fia locked up after them and went to clean off her face, change, and grab a light snack before passing out on the couch in her happy exhaustion.

* * *

Nagisa: Is she going to sleep through the comment box this time?

Haven: Tsu-chan needs some sleep so let's let her.

Giovanni: Does this mean I finally get my spotlight?

Florence: Quiet. She's sleeping… _Mia carina_ needs her rest if she's to finish what I started. The empire will fall.

Giovanni: But I never get to take over these comment boxes!

Narrator: And you never will. Is no one else concerned that Florence seems really scary right now?

Anyway, sorry for the really slow posting. We've been swamped with end of the year work. F-A-I-L-U-R-E that's how you spell finals! (I'm kidding - kind of). So, Right Brain is going abroad this summer to study Spanish and Left Brain will be really unaccessible. We'll still try to post, but thank you for your ongoing patience!

On the next chapter, we tie up some loose ends before summer starts and our housemates find themselves on the long-awaited mission marathon you've all been waiting for! We'll have some special news in and from the Timo family, some characters you might have been missing, and… what happened to Fia?

Now, who ended the We-Hate-Brain party? It was just starting to get fun! I call getting the next turn at Director Darts!


	38. Chapter 38: Moving Time

Arching her back as she groaned, Fia stretched on the couch under the hazy light filtering in through the window from the morning sun. The weekend had been rough but exhilarating. Finishing up all of the shows felt great and Fia finally felt refreshed. The only thing left to do now was complete her finals and prepare to move out for the summer.

She sat up slowly and pulled out her phone, smiling in delight when she noticed a text from her sister. "How did it go?" the message read. Fia sweatdropped. That could mean just about anything.

Fia texted back, "Everything is great :) . Guess who's going abroad!" It took awhile for her to receive a response and she was left wondering if her sister had died of shock. The message that came in read "I'm… surprised. About a lot of things. I'll meet up with you soon to talk." Sending Felicia a quick "Okie-dokie," Fia put her phone in her pocket and got up.

She made her way over to the bathroom and peered at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a matted mess and she hated that a quick brushing couldn't detain the auburn monster anymore. Grabbing her keys, Fia made her way out the front door, ignoring the chilly bite of the morning mist.

* * *

Karma walked in from his morning class and dropped his bag on the coffee table. He opened his bag and pulled out an economic theory book, flipping through the folded pages until he got to an unmarked chapter. Reading intensively, he didn't care when a familiar siamese cat curled up in his lap and began purring under his hand.

The front door clicked open and shut quickly. Wysteria's tail flicked happily and she mewled at the newcomer.

"Hello, Wysteria," an Italian voice giggled.

Karma froze in the middle of turning a page. He hadn't seen Fia since the first showing of the musical and wasn't sure how he was supposed to act around her now that she'd… confessed. "Hey, Fia," he muttered, eyes still glued to his book.

"Hello, Karma~" she responded cheerfully. "The weather's beautiful today and I feel immensely lighter! Well… I guess I'm literally lighter. This is such a weird feeling!"

Confused, Karma raised his head to see that Fia's long locks had been cut into a wavy bob falling just under her ears. She looked at him with a confused expression and tilted her head, making her hair fall into her face and tickle her cheeks.

"It's nothing," he waved it off dismissively with a smile as Fia sat beside him and took Wysteria into her lap. "You look cute."

"Heh, thanks!" Fia pulled her glasses out of their case and pulled a book off of the table, trying to get some of her assigned reading done before lunch. She promised Nagisa that she would make seven layer lasagna and she knew that would take some time… And lots of thyme… And a Timo.

* * *

Haven walked into the apartment to the smell of parmesan and tomato sauce. She peered into the kitchen to find Fia and a familiar Asian boy standing together in front of the stove, being 'cheesy' with their words, she assumed. Haven turned to leave but was glomped from behind.

"HAVEN!"

"Earnest," she replied curtly, sending a jab towards her cousin's side. He jumped back with a goofy grin and she turned to face him with her arms crossed. "What are you doing here?"

"I came by to say 'goodbye' before leaving next week. I'm sure the flight won't be a 'plane' one, but I had to get my fun in first, just in case~."

Fia laughed from the kitchen. "Why don't you guys hang out? I'll call you when lunch is ready!" she promised.

"Are you all packed up? I'll be here to help you move the day after tomorrow!" Earnest exclaimed as he sat down on the couch.

"Yeah. My half-brother might be helping out as well…" Haven leaned on Earnest's shoulder.

"Oh yeah, that guy. I'll finally get to meet him. He was such a jerk for such a long time."

"He's not that bad, honestly."

"If you say so," Earnest said with a shrug. "Looks like lunch is ready!" he shouted excitedly, running towards the short-haired girl standing in the doorway.

After sharing their meal and a bunch of laughs, Fia hugged Earnest and waved happily as Haven dragged him outside. Humming, Fia returned to the kitchen and began washing dishes in the sink. Karma took the spot next to Fia and wordlessly rinsed out the soapy plates she set them down on his side. She shot him an appreciative smile.

After they had washed and dried all of the dishes and put the remaining food in the fridge for Nagisa, Karma took Fia's arm. "Can we talk?"

She dried her hands off with a towel and nodded. "Sure thing. Want to sit outside?"

Karma and Fia took a seat on their usual hill. The redhead stretched out on the cool grass and watched the clouds roll slowly across the azure sky. Fia moved around him, finding flowers to weave into her hair and braid into a flower crown. Without sitting up, he snapped a quick picture with his cellphone of the scene.

Fia heard the shutter and turned around with a playful smile as she threw a shower of grass at her companion, which he snapped another picture of. "Hey! Cut it out," she said with a giggle.

"Nah, don't think so." Karma laughed and poked Fia's leg with a small twig. She squealed, jumping back and throwing more grass at him. Rolling over onto his side, he grabbed a flower and tucked it behind her ear.

"What was that for?" Smiling, she placed the flower crown lightly on his head. "Don't take it off!" She pouted and smacked Karma's protesting hand away, mirroring his unamused expression.

"Fine, fine," Karma grumbled. "But I'm not deleting the photos."

"What? Why not?" She tried to look over his shoulder at the screen but he locked the phone with a snicker.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Karma reached behind the girl and tickled the nape of her exposed neck.

Fia burst out laughing and playfully shoved him back. "Real mature, Karma."

"That's my middle name," he responded coolly.

"Ha-ha." Rubbing her neck with a free hand, Fia sighed softly. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Sighing heavily, he began to speak. "About what you said the other day… Did you mean it when you said that you love me?"

Eyes as verdant a color as the swaying grass widened and Fia's face turned a dreamy shade of pink. "Yes," she asserted, "but you don't have to think too much on it." She smiled. "More than anything, I want you to be happy and if that's with another girl, that's…"

"Do you think I'm cruel?" Karma asked quietly. "The other day, after the mission, you said you hated people who were willing to intentionally hurt others who didn't deserve it, right?"

"I…" Fia faltered, unsure of how to answer his unexpected comment.

Smiling regretfully, he sighed. "Your silence is honest enough." He placed a hand on her head. "Don't go out with someone like me, not until I'm a better person, if ever. It seems like I keep making the wrong decisions, and that's not what I want for you."

She gradually began to nod. "I understand," Fia replied gingerly, knowing he didn't need more than that and an acceptance.

The pair sat in silence for a long while, Fia picking flowers and Karma watching the sky. He glanced over at her as she pulled a wilted petal away from its stem and sighed softly to himself. He didn't want to do to the beautiful girl what she had done to the beautiful flower.

"So does this mean we're mutually agreeing to be -?"

"Friends."

"Okay. Friends."

* * *

Nagisa took a bite of the lasagna on his plate and smiled appreciatively at Fia. "This is really good!"

She giggled and lowered her fork. "You've said that every layer for the last three layers!"

"It is good, Tsu-chan," Haven said simply. "I like your hair."

"Heh, thank you, Angel. Are you guys all packed up?"

Karma grumbled. "No, I have a policy analysis to submit and a few more final exams. You have any extra boxes?"

"I do," Nagisa said. "There are a lot of perks to always being at the library when new shipments come in."

"Speaking of moving, where are you storing your stuff?" Fia asked curiously. "I probably have space back at my house if you still need a place." She glanced at Karma and quickly looked away.

The redhead waved his fork dismissively and smiled reassuringly, even if his eyes bore some form of sadness behind curved lips. "Karasuma and Ms. Bitch are going to help us move our things to a storage locker nearby. No offense but I don't trust your siblings not to touch my stuff."

"You act like I trust them… I'm definitely packing all of my fragile things and valuables into my car before my family shows up to help me move!"

"You have a car, Tsu-chan?" Haven asked. "I didn't know."

Fia shrugged. "I never use it," she admitted. "I never have to since almost everything I need is in walking distance and I can take the trains and busses home."

"What kind of car is it?" Nagisa inquired politely.

"It's, um, well, er…" Her face reddened under her housemates' intent stares. "It's a Fiat."

Nearly choking on his food, Karma broke out laughing. "As in Fia-t?"

"Y-Yeah… My dad picked it out, okay? Quit laughing!" She threw a napkin at him with a smile." What about you, Angel? Is Earnest coming over to help you?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. I've asked him and Richard to assist me. Kavi might come by too."

Blue eyes glanced curiously at Haven. "When does Kavi graduate?"

"Seniors graduate next week," Fia explained. "I'm going to the closing ceremony to see Peter. Are you going to see Kavi? I know…" She paused for careful thought. "That it should have been your graduation… Were you planning to tell us, Haven?"

"Oh, that…" Haven looked away. "The entire department wanted me to graduate this year so I could been streamlined into the MIT computer science graduate program. The streamline ended this year. It was a plan they've had since I declared my major freshman year. I was really excited for it as a Freshman and a Sophomore, but this year I started having my doubts. I was going to tell you guys if I made it in. Missing my presentation really stunk, though."

Nagisa nodded understandingly and sympathetically gave Haven a hug. Resting his chin on his palm, Karma looked away; He may not have liked the girl, but he respected hard work and a thesis was definitely the embodiment of that for students like them. Contrastingly to the boys, Fia shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"Well… " she began nervously. "I also have something to tell you guys that I was waiting until I got a confirmation for." Tucking a short tuft of hair behind her ear, she smiled up at her housemates, rigid and paralyzed.

Karma raised an eyebrow at her and, appearing to slouch lazily in his seat, nudged Fia's knee with his own. "Well?"

Surprised by the sudden contact, Fia jumped back slightly. Staring at Karma, she pressed a hand to her chest and laughed in relief, realizing that it was only him. "I've gotten permission to study abroad!" she announced excitedly as she glanced around the table. No one's expression changed. "Um… for all of fall semester next year."

"Um, well, I'm happy for you," Nagisa began with a reassuring smile. "How… long have you been thinking of going for?"

"Maybe since the beginning of this semester?" Fia dropped her gaze. "I just feel like I have to do this."

"Wow, Tsu-chan… Good for you," Haven sighed, "I'll miss you though. Who'll be my roommate?"

Fia opened her mouth to answer, but slowly shrunk back in her chair. "I've been thinking about that for a while now… I know it will be hard, especially if you have to watch what you say, but I hope that you'll still give me your blessing to go." Lip trembling slightly, she bowed her head.

"Of-of course, Tsu-chan. It might be a bit inconvenient, but I'm happy for you."

She nodded slowly and looked to her strangely-silent housemate. His citrus eyes found hers and Karma reached over to ruffle her fluffy hair. Through a strained smile, he pinched her cheek lightly.

"We'll be fine, Fia. You should worry about yourself. Knowing you, you'll probably get lost in your own hometown."

Her cheeks flushed and puffed out. Fia stomped her foot. "Will not! I'm going to be just fine so just you wait!"

"Please, the only time you don't get lost is when you follow your nose to the cake shop down the block."

"HEY! THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR SECRET!" Green eyes watered above a quivering bottom lip. "Backstabber…"

"Figuratively or literally~?"

"Karma!"

Nagisa smiled between his bickering, albeit smiling, friends and politely raised his hand to interrupt. "Fia, what do you plan to do about our job? Did you talk to Mr. Karasuma yet?"

She sweat-dropped. "Not yet… I talked to Ms. Jelavic, and we agreed that it would be best to work a little more - prove my worth and loyalty - and wait until things settle down. I hope we can get along and get through everything smoothly," Fia sighed with her fingers crossed.

* * *

"Move faster, _contadino! (peasant)_ " Lupe demanded. She kicked at her brother's heels as they carried small boxes towards a moving truck.

"You move faster before I drop this on you!" Gio snapped. "I'm actually carrying some heavy stuff, unlike you!"

"Stop it, you two," Florence said from where she was resting on a chair under the shade of a large tree.

"Yes, _Mami…"_ The two responded resolutely before handing their boxes off to Giovanni, who was organizing Fia's things to fit neatly in the truck.

"How did you learn that word anyway?" the teenager huffed.

" _Mami's_ day-time soap operas~!"

"COMING THROUGH~~!" the twins yelled, running by carrying a tall lamp over their heads as they skirted around a tall male with green hair.

"You have something on your face," Peter laughed as he took a box from Fia.

She wrinkled her nose. "Is it dust? It's definitely a dust bunny, right?"

"No," he said, shaking his sea green bangs from his eyes, "it's a smile."

She couldn't help but break out into a grin. "Peter! Thanks again for helping out!"

"Not a problem. At least I'm not just lounging around and sipping at ice tea."

"I can hear you!" a brunette called from under the same tree as Florence. Violet eyes stared boredly at the pair. "I'm overseeing."

"More like trying to check out Ms. Jelavic," Peter sighed. He looked between the sunbathing blonde talking with the Italian fashionista to the director who occasionally let his eyes drift over to her like waves rolling onto a golden grained shore.

"Looking good, hot stuff!" Jelavic sang as she waved to Karasuma, who was carrying some of the heavier furniture with Karma towards their rental truck.

He shot her a curious expression as he wiped the sweat from his brow with a free hand. "I suppose it is hot out here…"

The redhead sweatdropped. His former teacher really did live up to his nickname of "Da Densest."

Fia bounded up to Karma and Karasuma with a few drinks in hand. "Here!" She passed over the icy drinks, sweating through their glasses under the high-hanging sun. "Can I help at all?"

Karasuma raised an eyebrow. "I appreciate it, Fia, but don't you have your own stuff to move?"

The Italian girl sweat-dropped and stole a glance at the heavily-populated moving truck. "No, I think we're just about done."

Karma shrugged, swirling the ice in his cup absentmindedly with the striped straw. "I think I'm good, but you could probably lend a hand to Nagisa."

"Sure!" Fia turned on her heel and ran over to take a plastic bin from the bluenette.

Setting down the couch in the truck, Karasuma sighed. "You four used to be so close… I'm glad you're getting along for now, but I hope you won't let your personal feelings affect your performance on the upcoming mission."

"It won't," Karma replied curtly, tucking his hands into his pockets and pushing a box away with his foot.

Falling heavily onto the couch, Karasuma sighed and leaned back against the plush cushions. Karma hadn't met his eyes once today. He didn't want to be troublesome, but how was he to tell what path would be the right one for these boys?

* * *

"I don't think I signed up for boxing!" Earnest laughed with his head stuck inside an empty cardboard box.

Haven, the apparent culprit, scowled. "This is cruel and unusual pun-ishment! Just tape up the box and put my books in it." She sighed and rolled up her dark sleeves as Earnest saluted and ran off with the box and some packing tape.

"Hey, where should I put this?" A familiar blonde with a sharp gaze held out a lamp to Haven.

"You can just put that with the other tech stuff, Richard. Thanks again for helping," she said, smiling slightly.

"No prob," Richard lowered the lamp and paused before continuing, "I met up with Dad the other day. He said he might come work here next year…"

"Yeah, I heard about it."

"Does he know you go here?" Richard looked at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"He talked to me about it."

"Well, shoot." Richard looked away, "Mom doesn't know."

"And the problem is?" Haven tilted her head.

"Sorry, but you're not exactly inconspicuous," Richard motioned the lamp at his sister. "She'll notice you for sure if she ever comes to the campus."

"My hair probably doesn't help anything," Haven exhaled, "Dad… Dad also said…"

"Yeah, what is it?"

She took a deep breath, "Dad also said he… he still loved my mother."

"I expected as much," he sighed. "Mom's not exactly given him any reason to fall back in love with her… then again, she doesn't exactly want him back either. I swear, those two just need to get a divorce," Richard shook his head.

* * *

"So, that rumor you told me about, Fia, it ended up being true! It's all over campus now. Karen Moore and Professor Johnson were a thing! Now that the scandal can't be covered up, the school has to hire a new professor now. I bet it'll be that white-haired guy. Do you know him Haven? I saw you talking to him a few weeks ago," Rebecca spouted in the doorway of the apartment.

Fia froze mid-step and dropped the cushion in her hands. "Are you serious?! - I mean, o-of course it was!" She paled, sweat-dropping, never having expected that her forced fabrication might end up being true. Maybe she really was cursed to tell the truth. Sighing heavily, she picked up her cushion and carried it off, unable to process the news.

"Hey, sis, where does this go?" Richard called through the door, a labeled box in his hand.

"Ah, yes…" Haven looked at the looking girl standing before her, "The white haired professor is my… our father." Haven motioned to Richard.

"OH MY GOSH! REALLY?" Rebecca exclaimed. "But what's the our about? Do you a sibling?"

"Guy behind you, he's my older half brother," Haven stared at Rebecca intensely. "But, don't tell people. No one needs to know we're all related."

"Mkay, I'll keep quiet. I'm not here to wreck lives with little scandals like that. But I expect some juicy gossip later! Ta-ta!" Rebecca smiled and finger-waved at Haven.

"Yeah, thanks. Most of what you need to know about Wysteria's with her stuff. If it's not there, call me," Haven smiled slightly. "Richard, help her carry that stuff out," Haven motioned towards some stuff piled next to the door. He nodded and carried the box out of the apartment, waiting in the hall for Rebecca.

Nagisa waved as Rebecca scooped Wysteria up in her arms and carried her off. The bluenette reached down to pick up another box and smiled when he felt a pair of slender arms wrap around his abdomen from behind. He straightened himself out and smiled softly.

"Hi, Haven. I already told you that I wasn't going anywhere." Nagisa chuckled and placed his hands lightly over hers.

"I know."

"Will you let me turn around this time so I can hug you?"

Hesitantly, Haven loosened her grip just enough so Nagisa could turn around and place his arms around her. She quickly hid her pink face in his chest and sighed quietly.

* * *

Nagisa looked over to see a tanned boy animatedly talking to a short, scowling man sitting under a different tree than before.

"Aw, c'mon. This conversation hasn't tape-ered off yet, right? I can pack away more puns!" Earnest said, holding up the packing tape as he wiggled his eyebrows. Brian looked anything but amused, but, then again, he almost always looked like that.

"Mind if I take this for you?" a voice called.

The pigtailed boy turned to see Kavi standing there with a hand in his pocket. "Sure," Nagisa replied. "Doesn't Haven need help?"

"I was saw her a little bit earlier but that other kid - Richard, was it? - seems to be helping her out a lot. Besides, we have some catching up to do, right?" Kavi grinned, his expression friendly and sincere. "Seems like you and Haven got together. She's happy, at least from what I saw today. I'm glad about that."

"Yeah," Nagisa nodded as he picked up another box and walked with Kavi to Karasuma's car. "So how are you?"

* * *

Jelavic scanned through the pages of the portfolio for the third time, in part to see the sketches again and in part to be fanned.

"So these designs are all yours, Florence?" the blonde asked curiously.

Florence smiled. "Yes, they are. Most of these are old by now, but I just cleaned out one of my offices today and found that."

"You call those old," Jelavic huffed, "but I think I saw one or two of those pieces in my own collection."

"Well, I'm flattered to have my clothing worn by as young and beautiful a woman as you," Florence replied slyly.

Blue eyes glanced curiously into the golden ore shaded behind dark sunglasses. "Most women at your age have passed their peak, but you still have your looks going for you."

Florence chuckled as she stole a glance at the auburn-haired girl standing with her eyes turned up towards the cerulean mist of sky. "Perhaps, but having so many kids has taken quite the toll on my body. I can no longer do the same work you ask of my precious daughter."

"I can only imagine. I'm still not sure how I feel about a bunch of little brats running around."

"You get used to it." Florence laughed lightly.

"I'm not so sure about that… but you seem pretty proud," Jelavic observed aloud.

"Of course I am. I always have been. Whether or not their blood is blessed or cursed, it's the same that fuels every fiber of my own being, correct?" Her fingertips drifted towards and aligned with the five-pointed mark hidden under the collar of her dress.

* * *

"Richard, Earnest, go get the boxes out of my closet. Be careful with them! They're mainly filled with computer parts!" Haven ordered the two boys standing in the hallway.

"So, you're Haven's half-brother?" Earnest looked at Richard with skepticism as the two started their task. "I thought you two would look more… alike."

"Yeah, I took after my mom."

"Just curious, why the sudden change of heart? I spent the last ten years hearing about you bullying her," Earnest asked as the two walked into the girls' room to disappear into the depths of Haven's closet.

As the two boys left, Kavi rounded the corner. "Hey, Haven," he called.

"Kavi, I saw you around earlier. Why didn't you come talk to me sooner?"

"Something else called me away," Kavi replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No worries," Haven replied.

"Uh oh, that usually means you really messed up this time. In girl and in work emails," Kavi joked.

"Not that funny," Haven smiled slightly.

"I tried," Kavi admitted before taking on a more serious expression. "I don't mean to rub it in or anything but, what are you going to do now?"

"Dunno. I guess I'll go talk to the department," Haven sighed, "They've probably already thought up some back-up plan for me."

"Forget the department, what do you want?" Kavi asked her.

"To get my major I guess… after that, I have a job already lined up."

"Really? that's great! Who are you going to work for?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Haven smiled smugly.

"Come on, we're old friends! Who'd you get a job with?"

"It's classified," Haven winked coyly.

At that moment, Richard and Earnest left the room laughing loudy as they carried the boxes out.

"What are you two laughing about?" Haven asked them suspiciously.

"See, what did I tell you?" Richard gestured to his sister.

"You're right!" Earnest exclaimed.

"What are you two talking about?" Haven asked.

"Oh, nothing, little sis," Richard smiled, emerald eyes twinkling.

"We were just talking about animals, bee-lieve me!"

"Right, no mercy!" Haven exclaimed as she began running after the two.

"Oh no! Here comes the side jabs!" Earnest exclaimed as the two boys ran out of the apartment, their arms filled with boxes.

* * *

"Well, Lupe, you always have your eye out for cute guys. What do you think of our group here today?" Mia said. She was sprawled out on her front in the cool grass just a little away from where the majority of guys were finishing up packing.

The girl played with her pigtails and shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. I haven't really been looking today." She tapped her ribboned shoes together

"Well, we could just go through all of them," Mio suggested. He sat next to Mia, rubbing her back gently with the hand not supporting the bulk of his weight.

"Do we really have to do this…?" Gio grumbled.

The twins shot their older brother a pointed look. "Don't you want to look at Fia's potential suitors?"

Gio sat up suddenly, feeling protective and very, very interested all of a sudden. He pointed towards a blonde man talking with a tanned, high-school age guy. "What about them?"

Lupe frowned. "They're okay-looking, I guess. The loud one has a cute smile, though! It's really bright and charming. He seems pretty funny."

Mia waved her hand dismissively. "I don't know, I kind of like the rough look of the blonde guy. Look at the muscles on his arms!"

"He's a decade older than you!" Gio protested.

"A girl can look, can't she?" Mia sighed. "It's not like Mio hasn't stole a few looks at the women here."

He blushed and ran his hand through his chocolate locks. "Shut up… Hey, who's that?"

"Who?" Mia traced her sibling's gaze to a tall, dark man checking his phone under the shade. "Oh, he's kind of cute," she cooed as the man pulled back his locks with his fingers.

"I think that's Haven's friend or something from her computer geek class," Gio said flatly. "Sure, he's cute, but he seems like a jokester to me!"

"That really handsome guy over there looks like the serious type," Lupe said cheerfully.

Mia, Mio, and Gio all dead-panned, clouds of dread forming around their heads. "HE LOOKS SCARY!" They watched the violet-eyed man fix his bowtie begrudgingly while ordering around some of the other guys.

"Well, I think he's dreamy. He looks like a man who knows what he's doing!"

Scoffing, Gio rolled his eyes. "What would you know about that?" His action sent him rolling down the hill. "GAH! LUPE!"

"YOU DESERVED THAT!" she huffed. "DON'T MOCK MY PRINCES!"

"Speaking of princes," Mio hummed, "that guy looks like one, don't you think, Lupe?" He gently turned her face towards the boy with seafoam green hair who was pouring the contents of a water bottle down the back of his white tank top to slip free from the downward, hot iron pressure of the sun.

"He's very princely!" Lupe exclaimed in glee. "He even acts like one!" she commented, observing him offer to get a drink for her older sister.

"He… might not be a terrible match for Fia," Gio muttered.

Mia scoffed. "I doubt he could handle us though!"

"Maybe, maybe not," Mio started, "but I think you're all forgetting someone important."

"Karma," the quartet answered together. They saw Karma stretched out on one of the couches within the moving truck, napping with a stray packing newspaper draped over his face.

"He's the best looking of them all, but he's… lazy." Lupe sighed.

"Yeah, he's lazy, but he's a delinquent when he's active," Gio grumbled, climbing back up the hill. "But I guess he hasn't been the most terrible… He showed up to Fia's show."

"WHAT?! EVEN THE CHERRY TOP GOT TO SEE IT?!" The twins groaned and fell back onto each other.

"Still," Mia protested, "He pranks and harrasses her all the time!"

"Well, I think he's fun to be around," the littlest girl retorted.

"But he has such a bad attitude!" Gio pointed out.

"And Fia will cry if he gets hurt in a fight or anything like that," Mio added.

"But he's super smart! He's one of the top in his class!" Lupe argued. "He can take care of himself, and he'll be able to take care of her in the future!"

Mio and Mia exchanged glances. "He could probably take care of kids… He's never been mean to us, not really anyway."

Jumping up like a launching rocket as if propelled by his disgust, Gio scrunched up his face. "I DON'T EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT THOSE TWO COPULATING! THIS CONVERSATION ENDS NOW!"

Lupe looked up with curious glances to the childishly-snickering twins. "What's that mean?"

"It means, I'm going to pummel you if you keep laughing," a bored voice called.

The Timo children all turned to see a pack of annoyed looking men, led by a growling redhead.

"Well, I was wondering why I was sneezing," Peter said with a shrug and a laugh as he casually ran his hand through his hair. "These are Fia's siblings? There are more than I realized…"

"Trust me, it doesn't end with these four," Karma sighed.

"THERE ARE MORE?!"

The short brunette standing next to him folding his arms over his chest. "It would appear so. They have her same blank expression." He rolled his violet eyes under the pretense of being irritated, when he was really just trying to avoid the gaze of the child ogling him.

"I think it's kind of cute," Kavi laughed, locking his hands behind his head. "I don't mind being called cute, but am I really that much of a jokester?"

"'Any buttons but those?'" Karma grumbled under his breath, turning slightly red when Kavi broke out into a fit of laughter.

Richard scowled, more than a little annoyed and weirded out by the kids' strange commentary. "They're little buggers, the lot of them."

"You know we can hear you!" Mio and Mia protested together.

"Yes, I know!" he spat back.

"IT WAS THEIR IDEA!" Gio said, pointing fervently at the twin terrors.

"HEY! TRAITOR."

"You want to see mean?" Karma smirked sadistically, cracking his knuckles as horns and a pointed tail sprouted behind him, glowing in a purple aura. "Fia's inside the apartment. You're all dead now~."

"That's not mean, that's just evil!" Lupe argued.

"IT'S SATAN!" Gio screamed like a little girl, trying to scramble past the twins, who quickly grabbed him and turned him onto his back with scary smiles that showed their intention of making a sacrifice out of him. "I WILL NOT BE MADE A VICTIM AGAIN!"

"Too late~!"

Sweat-dropping, Peter crouched down besides the teens and separated them. "Hey, now. Let's all play nice," he said, shooting a pointed look at Karma.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and whistled innocently, looking on.

Earnest peered down at the Timo kids from over Brian's shoulders. "You guys sure have a lot of free Timo to just be sitting around here."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"GET HIM!" The Timo children all yelled together with annoyance burning brightly in their eyes. Four pairs of hands all lunged for Earnest, laughing, as he took off running down the hill. "DOWN WITH THE PUNNY ONE!"

* * *

Giovanni, Karasuma, and Richard all exchanged nods then slammed closed the doors to their respective moving trucks simultaneously. A loud cheer erupted from the people standing just off to the side who were just so relieved to be done for the day.

Karasuma patted Nagisa and Karma on the back. "Alright, I'll drive this over to storage. Take care of yourselves until next week, okay?"

The bluenette nodded. "Thanks, Mr. Karasuma! See you next week!"

"Yeah, whatever." Karma scratched at his ear boredly. "We'll be fine. See you later, Chief, Don."

Giovanni laughed. "Trying to get rid of me so soon, huh?" He clapped Karma on the back. "I won't go down that quickly. Not even the best of Italy could take me down."

"You sure, old man? Let's test your reflexes in a good old fashioned knife fight then! You wouldn't back out of that, would you, Don?"

"If you're going to roughhouse, just keep it out of my house," Florence called as she took Giovanni's elbow. "Break any of my things, and I'll break you," she said coolly.

"We hear you loud and clear." Karma laughed dryly with a sweat-drop. Even he wasn't willing to mess with her.

Fia ran up to her father and threw her arms around his neck. "Thanks for taking care of this for me, _Papi._ I'll miss you over the summer."

"Be sure to call," Florence said sternly, pinching her daughter's cheek.

"Owkah, owkah! I wirh!" She whined softly, attacking her mom in a hug as soon as her cheek was released from the bear trap that was her mother's pinch.

Karma shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled. Fia turned around and stared at him expectantly, almost hesitantly. He shot her a curious glance when he was tackled from behind by four pairs of arms and herded towards Fia and her parents.

"What the -"

He found a head of pinkish auburn hair snuggled up into his chest. He was surrounded by an encompassing warmth, a warmth that was the Timo family.

"I don't like this gushy stuff, you know."

Laughing, the family broke, leaves departing radially from a tree ready to embrace the autumn chill.

"Hey, don't do anything stupid," Gio muttered under scarlet cheeks. "You two better come back okay, okay?"

"If you touch our sister over summer vacation, we'll know!" The twins stood arm-in-arm, eyes gleaming as they glared at the redhead.

"Try not to let the summer heat get you too bothered," Lupe chimed, glancing between Karma and her sister.

Karma rubbed the back of his head, unable to understand what the younger Timo siblings were yelling all at once. "Uh… Sure thing?"

"Alright, kids! Pack it up!" The Italian man bellowed. "We're heading out!"

Someone cleared her voice. "Mind if I tag along?"

Pairs of varying shades of green and gold all turned to see a woman standing a couple yards from the truck, her hands carefully folded over her stomach and a wry smile on her face almost hidden behind long locks.

"Felicia…?"

* * *

"Haven…?" Aunt Joy asked hesitantly as her niece entered the kitchen.

"Hey Aunt Joy, I'll get out of your kitchen soon enough. Where's Mom and Earnest?"

"They're getting some last minute ingredients. We weren't expecting you for another half hour. Did you appreciate my birthday present? Have you started using it?" Joy asked as she eyed Haven's chest.

"I had to open that up in front of several boys, did not appreciate that," Haven replied with irritation, "and no, I have not."

"But you're obviously using something," Joy smirked and grabbed her niece's chest with both hands.

"Aunt Joy!" the younger girl squeaked, turning very red.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Joy retreated, laughing.

"Hmph," Haven pouted. "I see what mom means when she said growing up in the Lee household was weird."

"She said that!" Joy said feigning hurt before bursting out laughing. "I'm not the only one to blame for that though. Ruby and Amber are as much at fault as I am."

"Ruby and Amber?" Haven looked at her aunt in confusion.

"Surely your mom told you she had three sisters!" Joy exclaimed. She continued after seeing her niece's continued confusion. "Yeah, Ruby came first, then Amber and then me. Your mom's the baby of us four."

""She may have mentioned it once… when I was really young…" Haven replied.

"Your mom had a falling out with the rest of our family after she became pregnant with you…" Joy replied tentatively.

"About that… I… I ran into Dr. Brown the other day. He gave me this folder about mom…" Haven handed the folder to her aunt who began flipping through it. "He…" Haven faltered, "He said he still loved… her." Haven watched her aunt's reaction closely to no avail. The Chinese woman didn't even acknowledge she had heard the statement and continued flipping through the file. "Should… should I tell mom that I ran into him?"

"Sure, but I wouldn't tell her that last part," Joy suggested.

"So, what other family members don't I know about?" Haven asked curiously.

"Let's see, there is your grandma and grandpa, two aunts, an uncle, and three cousins," Joy thought for a moment before adding, "But there could be four, I can never keep track of how many kids Amber has."

"Do you think I'll ever meet them?" Haven asked.

"Dunno. Maybe if Pearl gets married to Dr. Brown… and apologizes to our parents… but that's probably not going to happen. All parties involved are way too stubborn," Joy speculated as the front door creaked open.

"We're back!" Earnest sang from the living room.

* * *

"But I'm back and I'm sorry." Running her hands through her hair, Felicia let herself fall into Fia's arms with an exhausted sigh.

Florence pushed herself away from the table, a magnet repelled by its polar equal, and stalked towards her room. Giovanni smiled ruefully at his oldest daughter and ran off after his wife.

" _Calma per favore,_ _sorella_ ," Fia pleaded. "This amount of stress can't be good for you or… the baby."

"Does she have to be this difficult? I know I'm an ungrateful brat in her eyes, but this isn't just about me anymore! Since my boyfriend died, I… I had no one else to go to. Irina is leading your missions this summer so she offered me her place but I have no idea what I'm doing. Children are… Confusing."

"I get it," Fia promised. "We're here to support you. That's what family is for. Do you need me to stay -"

Felicia slapped her hand over her sister's lips like a flyswatter in the summer. "No. Absolutely not. You are going. You are getting out of here faster than I can assassinate a pigheaded bigot."

"That's fast…"

"I know."

The pair sat in silence at the worn wooden kitchen table as they listened to the clock tick, a steady march towards the final answer they anxiously needed to hear.

"I never realized how serious you were with your boyfriend… Fiance, I guess?" Fia returned her sister's dejected grunt with a nervous laugh. "Any idea what the gender of your baby will be? If she's a girl, we still have some things of Lupe's old things lying around…"

"I don't know… All I know is that this baby is my last piece of him and I'd rather give up my career than let that go…"

"That's surprisingly sentimental of you…"

"Don't even start."

"Well, he or she will have lots of playmates. You'll be fine here. I know it."

"I don't think the kids want me around, though," Felicia sighed.

"Well, you did kind of miss all of them growing up… All of the holidays and landmarks… Gio often waited with me when I was looking for you… I didn't want to believe that you weren't thinking of me the same I was thinking of you."

Felicia smiled wryly. "Sorry that I missed your graduation… I know you wanted Felix to be there when you got your diploma. I know I'm not a good substitute but I should have been there for you."

"Should have? This is a strange battle… between the responsibilities we have for our loved ones and the ones we have for ourselves…"

"How philosophical of you… But, I'm glad to have you."

Fia smiled. "Thanks. Oh, and, Fee'cia? Congratulations."

* * *

"I'm sorry I'll miss your graduation, but I sure didn't forget about it." Haven smiled and handed her cousin a small box wrapped in childish animal-covered wrapping paper. "Here's your graduation present. Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Haven! You sure you can't come next week?" Earnest asked as he and Haven sat on the couch.

"I'm really sorry, but my housemates and I head out before then," Haven sighed. "I'll also miss you heading off to Indonesia… or was it Thailand… or China?"

"Australia actually," Earnest replied as he began unwrapping the present. "I'm taking care of marsupials there."

Haven sweatdropped, "Just how many places are you going over the course of next year?"

"Let's see… There's Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, India, Egypt, South Africa, and Brazil. So a total of eight countries," Earnest grinned at his cousin.

"How… How are you affording all of that?" Haven sweatdropped.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? I've had a part-time job the past few years. Puns for 50 cents and punches afterwards for a dollar," Earnest grinned at his cousin's horrified expression. "The second part was a joke. But I did sell puns for 50 cents and saved my allowance since middle school. I've been using the monetary graduation presents too."

"Well, someone's dedicated," Haven smirked.

"It's in my name, Earnest Lee," the boy smiled and was rewarded with getting his hair ruffled.

"Such a smart aleck," Haven grinned at her cousin as he finally pulled his graduation present out.

"Wow! Thanks, Haven! There's an animal pun postcard for every week!" Earnest exclaimed as he flipped through the childish planner.

"It's a fill-in-your-own-date so you can use it while abroad. Maybe you'll be able to organize yourself while you're at it," Haven smirked. "And the postcards are to remind you to stay in touch. You're notorious for forgetting us when you're with animals."

"Haven, could you set the table? Earnest, I need help cooking," Joy called from the kitchen.

* * *

The Timo family sat around the kitchen table in silence save for the occasional scrape of silverware against china.

"So… Who is this chick?" Lupe asked after shoving a meatball into her mouth.

Mio and Mia exchanged glances at each other from across the table. "Someone who ditched us."

Gio shot them a warning look and glanced tentatively at Felicia. "She's… our oldest sister."

"I thought that was Fia," the child protested.

Felicia lowered her fork. "Well, I guess it makes sense that you wouldn't remember me. I left when you were still just the cutest little _bambina_."

Lupe looked to Fia who nodded slowly with a small smile. "That's why there aren't any pictures of her in the house…" she explained slowly. "But I assure you, this is our sister."

The pigtailed girl shrugged, twirling strands of spaghetti nonchalantly on her fork as she propped her chin up on her palm. "If you say so. Would you let me bedazzle your things?"

"You touch the shoes and you die," Felicia responded flatly.

"Your hairbrush?"

"Go for it."

Fia shuddered in horror.

Mio glared at Felicia. "You think you can just pick up where you left off?"

The woman ran a hand through her molten copper hair and sighed. "Of course not, but I have to start somewhere, Mio."

"That's… Mia," Fia coughed into her hand. "Pass the parmesan?"

The real Mio complied with Fia's request but wore a conflicted face. "Sure… _sorella_."

Felicia bit back her lip, attempting to hide her hurt. Gio scowled but shot her a sympathetic look, knowing that no one but Fia could tell the twins apart and feeling guilty that he, being only a year older and with them more of the time, still couldn't tell them apart, let alone tell how they were feeling.

Lupe looked curiously at the solemn faces framing their table. "Where's _mami_?"

* * *

"So, Mom, I ran into Dr. Brown the other day…" Haven began tentatively. Across the kitchen, Aunt Joy visibly froze, unsure of her sister's reaction.

"When did you two meet? Why didn't you tell me earlier? I would have come to see him," Pearl pouted.

"I didn't know I would run into him, otherwise I would have told you," Haven sweat dropped. "Anyways, he gave me some info that might interest you. I gave Joy the file."

"Oh good. Can I look at it?"

"Of course, after we're done eating," Joy smiled as she headed to the table, holding plates of food. "It's ratatouille for dinner," she declared as she placed a plate in front of each person.

"Ratatouille? I've never tried yours before Aunt Joy. Did you guys have some while I was at college?" Haven asked.

"I'm trying a new recipe tonight," Joy replied. "I hope it's good. Bon appetit everyone."

"Don't you mean Bon appe-squeak!" Earnest grinned from his seat. He had a napkin tucked into his collar, his knife in his right hand and his fork in his left.

"If you weren't across the table, I would definitely give you a side jab right now!" Haven scowled, a forkful of food halfway to her mouth.

"That's why you two sit across the table from each other, remember?" Joy smiled as she too began eating.

"Yes, Earnest made a pun and you put your bowl of macaroni and cheese on his head," Pearl reminisced. "I'll go get the pictures!" she smiled as she got up and headed out of the kitchen.

"Mom took pictures?" Haven stared at Joy in disbelief.

"I wasn't around that night and she thought the entire situation was extremely funny. She wanted to show me what had happened and it snapped her out of one of her slumps so, yes, she took about a dozen photos," Joy explained, smiling.

Pearl walked into the kitchen carrying a photo album and sat back down at the table. "I remember it like yesterday, you two were so cute!" the woman recalled as she turned to the page and showed it to the family. A five-year-old Haven sat at the very table they were sitting at now, arms crossed and an extremely annoyed expression on her face. Next to her, a three-year-old Earnest wore Haven's bowl of macaroni and cheese like a hat and a gigantic grin. He held up two fingers on each hand.

"So that's when it started!" Haven exclaimed. "The whole peace signs in photographs thing!"

"And I never stopped," Earnest replied, his bronze eyes twinkling. The three women at the table laughed heartily. Laughter and happy chatter flowed from the Lees' kitchen late into the night, long after dessert had been served and the dishes washed.

"It's getting late," Joy yawned as Haven put the last plate away. "Pearl, you and Haven can use the guest bedroom. I'm sure the busses have stopped running by now."

"Thank you so much, Joy," Pearl smiled and walked out of the kitchen with the photo album under her arm. Haven rushed after her.

* * *

Florence walked out of her room with a large cardboard box straining towards the floor in her smooth hands. Giovanni rushed forward to grab the heavy box from her and, together, they walked to the living room where Felicia and Fia were sitting together in an old armchair hand-in-hand. Dropping the box onto the coffee table, he scooped his kids up in an arm each and dropped the squealing pair onto his lap as he fell back into the armchair.

"This is just like old times. I used to sit you girls down like this every night and read you stories~!" He roared with laughter, a rosy tint staining his dark skin under glimmering eyes.

Felicia, hair tousled and mouth scowling, adjusted herself in her seat. "What are you doing?"

Fia giggled softly. "And you would read and read until your voice got hoarse -"

The brunette girl smiled involuntarily. "So you would start reading the villains voices in the funniest way -"

"Until _mami_ made you her special tea for your throat and you would shuffle us off to bed!" Fia finished.

"Ahh… That's right," Giovanni chuckled, "What was your favorite story again?"

"I thought you always liked the one with the mouse…" Felicia commented, shooting her sister a curious glance.

"Yeah! That was so cute! But… what was it called?"

"Topo Tip," Florence answered quietly, her rosy lips painted into a small smile. "You always had Felix draw him for you."

The girls all laughed fleetingly like a setting sun that falls into the enveloping darkness of twilight.

Giovanni smiled softly at his wife. " _Amore,_ why don't you show the girls what you brought?"

Sighing softly, Florence opened the box and pulled out a few envelopes labeled "My Oldest Daughter" in neat calligraphy. She passed the paper packages over to Felicia and watched as she gingerly spilled the contents, a plethora of photos, onto her lap.

"I never did get rid of them," Florence said defensively. "I'm not that cruel of a mother that I could… erase you from my life." She eased herself onto the couch with a wry smile. "I have photo albums too… All of them have blank pages I've left open for you. I'm sorry that I took so long to find these… You must have thought I was angry… and… I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to apologize. I just want you to know that I'm proud of the woman you have become."

" _Mammina…_ " Like dewdrops, tears condensed into liquefied crystals in fern eyes and clung to branching copper eyelashes. "I'm sorry too. I should have… tried to see that you were hurting too and…" Her words were cut short, strangled by the warbling that was her crying and the trembling that came to rock her limber form. Tears splattered photograph after photograph as she flipped through her childhood. " _Dio, hai tenuto la pellicola non sviluppata… (God, you kept the underdeveloped film…)"_

Standing shakily and pressing a hand firmly to her mouth, Felicia made her way over to her mother and collapsed into her arms as she finally let her sobs overtake her. Florence soothingly rubbed her back and smiled at Fia and Giovanni, who were exchanging relieved smiles and a comforting embrace.

After some time and some more reminiscing over old photographs, Fia gave her mom a hesitant nod of approval.

"Felicia…" Florence began tentatively. "We were thinking that you should have Felix's old room."

Felicia turned her gaze towards her younger sister. "I don't mind sharing a room with Guadalupe."

"I know you're worried about feeling awkward," Fia admitted, "but I'm not likely to move in again after I graduate." She ignored the loud sniffle from behind her. "So… I was thinking you should have the room. That will give you and the baby some privacy for now. Besides, I think Mio and Mia are going to start needing space away from each other soon. They're getting more and more different."

Florence shot her daughter a curious glance. "You want us to re-do the rooms?"

"Aw, c'mon, _amore_ , it's not like you to back away from a challenge," Giovanni called.

"I'm not!" She protested indignantly. "So, purple and gold, purple and pink, and a subdued red. The scheme of the entire house might change. _Si,_ I think it will." Florence ran to her room with a pen in hand, ready to conquer the designs in her head.

Giovanni sweat-dropped. "There goes my dessert allowance for the month… I better check on her. _Buonanotte, le mie belle ragazze (Goodnight, my beautiful girls)"_ He dropped a kiss on each of their foreheads which they each returned with a kiss to one of his cheeks.

" _Buonanotte,_ " they called back.

Felicia sighed in relief, slumping in her seat like a deflated balloon. "That was… surprisingly easy."

"Yeah… I'm really surprised," Fia admitted. "So she's really letting you stay… She wants you to stay."

"So she's really letting you go," Felicia returned. "She wants you to go."

Fia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "She wants me to bring down an empire." Pulling the collar of her shirt aside to reveal a flower-like birthmark over her heart, Fia sighed. "Is this thing really worth all the trouble?"

"I don't know. Are you really okay with this?" The older sister gestured loosely with her hand to the house. "All the changes."

"I am… I think. I'll help you pack up the room tomorrow so it will be easier for you to move in… Don't worry too much about the other kids. They're all a little awkward at first, but I'm sure they'll warm up to you," Fia said reassuringly. "Actually… Fee'cia, would you mind if I slept in Felix's room tonight?"

"Not at all. I take it I can have your bed?"

"Yeah," Fia laughed. "After you satisfy that craving for bananas and oreos."

"It's actually for whipped cream and oranges, but that wasn't a bad guess."

Fia giggled. "Goodnight, _sorella!"_ she called as she made her way down the dark hall and flipped on the light to her brother's room, breathing in the familiar shades of white and blue that would encompass her as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Haven looked around the room, the white walls, the forest green carpet, the two twin beds. It all looked so familiar to her, almost more familiar than her mother's house. How many times had she slept in this room? Too many times to count. She sat on the edge of one of the beds and looked at her mother as she entered the room. "Why… why don't you ever talk about the rest of our family? Ruby, Amber, your mom and dad?"

"Why do you want to know about those horrible people?" Pearl turned around as sharply as she spoke. "我的父母 (my parents)," Pearl took a deep breath, "they're intolerant, old-fashioned, unforgiving, self-righteous jerks."

Haven looked at her mother in confusion, "I know they disinherited you, but-"

"No buts. They wouldn't help me at all. Not before and certainly not after. Ruby and Amber were no better. They're too scared to stand up to them," the woman ranted bitterly. "Only Joy and your father ever cared for me."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up," Haven walked to the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed. As she flossed, brushed her teeth and washed her face, she thought of what her mother had said and thought of Felicia. The number of similarities between them and the number of differences as well.

When she returned to the bedroom, Haven approached her mother cautiously, "As I told you a while ago, I'm going to be traveling with my housemates this summer… Are you sure you're going to be okay on your own?"

"I'll be fine, Haven. I'm staying here so Joy won't be lonely," Pearl smiled at her daughter as if their previous conversation hadn't occured at all.

"That's good," Haven slipped between the covers and tried to fall asleep. So much was changing, some for the better, some for the worst. All she could do right now was let the pieces fall where they may. She didn't know how it would all pan out yet, but she could hope for the best. She laid in bed pondering everything as the crickets outside sang.

* * *

"And here's your ride!" Noriko motioned to a beat-up turquoise volkswagen bus, baking under the bright, early-summer sun to the upbeat singing, or screeching depending on your mood, of birds.

Fia immediately paled. "I don't mean to sound rude… this early in the morning but can I just take my own car and meet you there?" she asked hopefully.

"Your little lime of a car will stick out like a sore thumb," Jelavic responded. "Besides, don't you need to stick together?"

Karasuma rubbed the back of his neck. "I know it's not much to look at, but it'll do. Just hold out until we get to the first stopping point. I promise it won't be that bad."

Fia sighed resignedly and glanced up at Karma who was looking at the car with slight disdain. She nudged him gently and he sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I'm going to come to hate that thing."

"Sounds like you already do…"

Together, the two went to check out the vehicle, one with caution and the other with disgust.

Haven hopped into the back seat. "Works for me," she said nonchalantly.

Nagisa sweat-dropped and circled the vehicle carefully. "Are you sure this is running correctly? I don't mind the way it looks, but I would rather not get stuck in the middle of nowhere."

"Don't worry, the sound system's been revamped and the ac works… usually," Classified assured. "I hope you five enjoy the ride."

"Wait, five?" Noriko exclaimed, "I'm going with you guys, right?"

"You're only about two years older than these kids, Noriko. That's much closer in age than to the three of us," Classified motioned to Karasuma and Jelavic.

Karma rolled his eyes. "Great. As if we need the extra sound system when we have her." Fia shot him a pout and he gave her a "what do you want me to do?!" look that read "I'm cranky and didn't get any sleep" to her.

"I heard that, Karma Akabane!" Noriko crossed her arms in irritation.

"This friggin' sucks." He shook his head and climbed into the car, sitting in the front passenger seat. He put his headphones on, effectively isolating himself from the others as he yawned irritatedly and placed his head against the door.

Nagisa tentatively placed his backpack with the rest of the luggage sitting in the back-most row and took a seat next to Haven. Giving her a quick peck on the cheek, he opened his book to a neatly-placed bookmark and immersed himself in the elusive world where words unfurl and combine, synthesizing into an illusionary virtual reality in his hands.

Fia came in on the other side of Haven and gingerly sat down in her seat behind Karma. Someone would have to put distance between those two. After tapping on his shoulder and handing him a headphone splitter, Fia smiled and sat back as he plugged it into his phone begrudgingly. Humming, she closed the door and turned towards the window for the long drive.

"Are we ready to go?" Noriko went around the vehicle once to check it over, hopped into the driver's seat, and adjusted the mirrors.

"Where are we going?" Haven asked.

"I'm not sure yet. We're going to be following Classified so anything goes."

* * *

Florence: Giovanni, your daughter just left without us for the first time and we're going to be grandparents… Now the kids really are going to call you old.

Giovanni: _CHE?!_ My little girl!

Felicia: Why do they call it morning sickness if it hits you around the clock? … What do you mean I have to deal with this for a few more weeks?

Left Brain: It has been more than 72 hours, I do not know how much longer I will survive without Right Brain.

Right Brain: ^_^"" How are we going to survive 3 months if we can't make it 3 days? (Also, this just goes to show that we can't survive without the other, even if Left Brain gets super annoyed with me xD ).

Left Brain: It's only because I'm used to sharing a cranium with you. (pouty blushing)

Right Brain: Oh, boo. /.\ Well, anyway, I'm glad we could tie up so many loose ends! What's going to happen from here on out? *_*

Narrator: Gee, I wish you guys would tell me so I could give a preview for the next chapter.

Left Brain: Trapped in a virtually wifi-less hell. Sorry, I'm gonna be on hiatus.

Right Brain: I'll miss you guys! I'll try to post some spin-offs while I'm abroad. Looking forward to seeing you guys all again in a few months! ^_^ 3

Noriko: Fia, we were each supposed to bring only two suitcases, so why are there three green ones in the back of the car?

Haven: I only brought one, so I told Fia she could use my luggage spot. She said something about needing the extra space.

Fia: (quietly, blushing) Would you believe me if I told you that's JUST for my bras…? They don't fold or bend or roll! I promise I tried to fit them! I did!

Noriko: We're getting a call from Classified. Redhead, take off the headphones. Oi! Redhead! He can't hear me…

Nagisa: No, not at all. You'd have more chance getting the driver of the car in the three lanes over to respond.

Noriko: (sigh) Well, someone take them off and tell him it's work-related!

Haven: Who wants to volunteer as tribute? Not me! (looks at Fia)

Nagisa: (sweat-drops) Well… I'm a little far… (looks at Fia)

Fia: (trembling bottom lip) I don't want to die, man!

Haven: Fia, You're sacrifice will be appreciated by the greater good.

Fia: _Cazzo,_ don't lie to me! You two just don't want to do it! (hesitantly glances towards where heavy metal music is drifting from Karma's headphones)

Noriko: Will someone please just take those headphones off!

Fia: (kissing her life goodbye, reaches over to take his headphones)

Karma: (takes his headphones off and turns around) What are you all yammering about? … (sees Fia's awkwardly outstretched hands in his face) uh…

Fia: …

Karma: … Can I help you?

Fia: (screams and claws at her car seat in a desperate attempt to escape throught the back)

Karma: (sweat-drops) The hell is going on? - You know, I don't care. (sits back in his seat)

Haven: Looks like your sacrifice wasn't necessary after all, Tsu-chan.

Nagisa: Are you okay, Fia?

Fia: (Heavy breathing, almost wheezing) I'm… okay… I think. Thanks, Nagisa. Sorry, Karma.

Karma: It's fine. Try not to have a heart attack, okay? Your family will kill me.

Fia: Gee, thanks for the consideration…

Classified: (in surround sound) Hello, everyone! How's it going? Like the car?

Noriko: Going to fill us in on the mission, Andy? Protocol states the inter-car radio's only supposed to be used for work-related conversation.

Classified: Protocol Shmotocol! And not even close~! Fine, I'll be serious. Say "hello" to the leaders of the other two squads we'll be working with.

Koopa Kid: (in surround sound) Remember me, kids? Mario, Princess Peach, and Rosalina are gonna be around too.

Red Baron: (in surround sound) Hello, you little shits. Try not to fuck up this time, okay?

Haven, Karma, Fia, Nagisa: This summer's gonna be fun…


	39. Chapter 39: Chat Time

The tarnished tint of turquoise glinted under the bourbon midwestern sun. Five pairs of tired but eager eyes swept over the sprawling skyline of the City of Broad Shoulders and the six-lane interstate where a glimmer of silver and ultramarine blue suddenly appeared on steel tracks.

"Hey, it's the CTA! … Oh, that rhymed!" Fia exclaimed with a small giggle.

"That's the… Chicago Transit Authority, right?" Nagisa asked with sudden curiosity. He put down his book and turned to look out the window. "That's the blue line?"

"Yes and yes," Haven replied as she typed on a silver laptop.

"You're well prepared, Shiota. Good job," Noriko praised from the passages seat.

"Who thinks we can beat the train into Chicago?" Snickering mischievously as he gripped the steering wheel, Karma proposed the question to his car companions.

"Let's not," Noriko strongly suggested.

"How do you race a train?" Fia asked, resting her chin on the shoulder of his seat.

Nagisa froze and his face grew blue with the prospects of impending doom.

As a shadow spread across his forehead, Karma sprouted devil horns and shark-like teeth. His eyes glinted as it met in the rearview mirror with the eyes of his entrapped victims. "Like this." He slammed his foot down on the gas petal, sending the speedometer into overdrive.

The car lurched forward and Fia clung to the driver's seat in front of her as she screamed. Haven continued to type nonchalantly, even when suspended in the air from every jump of the vehicle. Nagisa, resting his head on the chair in front of him, wore a deadpan expression, having expected this completely. Well, he supposed he'd accomplished more in this short lifetime than he'd originally thought he would.

"Kar-ma A-ka-ba-ne! You are in sooooo much trouble!" Noriko screeched as she pressed her back flatly against the passenger window. Her shriek was only interrupted by the jolts of the car.

"Is that a police car behind us?" Haven asked in unconcerned monotone.

"Shit."

* * *

"We didn't get caught," Karma said dismissively as he pulled his bag out of the rattled van.

"It was still an irresponsible, rash, and childish action!" Noriko berated the redhead from a short distance away.

"Yes, it really was," Haven called from her seat on the luggage cart.

Fia, standing with her bags off to the side, sweat-dropped. "I know it's been a long tense ride, guys, but can we at least try to get along for now? _Por favore?_ "

As Classified stepped out of his car with Jelavic and Karasuma, he looked over to see the silhouette of five people fumbling through the hotel doors. He broke into a sorry smile, listening to the sound of heated chattering fade into the rush of the revolving doors.

"Something's gonna have to change," he shook his head as he concocted a plan and slammed the car door shut.

The door to hotel room 305 flew open, making way for Noriko to march through the entryway. It slowly began drifting shut when the luggage cart, supporting Haven a top a Tetris-like mountain of bags, was clumsily pushed through the doorframe by Nagisa, trying to see past the cluster. Haven, typing on her laptop and occasionally calling out abrupt directions, acted as his seeing-eye girlfriend of sorts.

The door bounced off the corner of the cart and rebounded off of the wall but was caught again as Fia, attempting to juggle all of her luggage in her arms, fell through the doorway. Sighing, Karma collected all of the fallen items left behind by his hallmates and finally shut the door, leaving the troop with a sense of finality and peace. This is where they would be camping out for the next few days.

Noriko placed her bags neatly against the wall and turned to her companions. Clearing her throat, she gestured to the room. "Lee, Timo. You and I will be staying in this room." She pointed to an indescript door in the wall. "Akabane, Shiota, you boys will be staying in that room. It's connected to make communicating and dealing with emergencies easier, but I expect absolutely no funny business… Especially from you, Akabane. I hope you won't pull any more stunts like you did this morning. We are here for an assignment, not for a vacation."

"If we're in the room next door, shouldn't Karma and I put our bags there now? We have to open the connecting door from our side too, don't we?" Nagisa asked.

"While that's true," Noriko began, "we have some time until the other two teams arrive so we thought it would be best to set up a tour of the city. We're meeting our guide downtown soon so we don't have much time to settle in just yet but this way, we can familiarize ourselves with our surroundings and be better prepared to…"

The four housemates exchanged looks in front of the large balcony doors overlooking the city, more caught up in their new surroundings than in Noriko's conjecture.

"How do you think we're getting there?"

* * *

Haven held the bar above her head, arm outstretched to its fullest, her fingers still barely wrapping around the steel cylinder. She looked around her, noticed a redhead who gripped the same bar easily, and scowled. She glanced to the blue haired boy next to her and let an inaudible sigh escape her lips.

"Haven, do you want some help?" Nagisa gently asked his ornery girlfriend, noticing her obvious difficulty with holding onto the horizontal bar.

"No! I'm not too short. I'll be fine," she huffed, blushing slightly. Even so, every jerk of the train was a strain on her fingers, hooked with a vice grip around the warming metal.

Nagisa's pigtails bobbed as he looked left and right in search of a free wrist strap, which would be easier for Haven to hold. Sighing, he turned back to smile softly at Haven. Her determined face was absolutely adorable so, not wanting to deter her, he turned his attention back to the windows where he could see the river past the platform they were pulling into.

"Doors closing -"

The train jolted into motion and the short girl lost her hold. She stumbled backwards, flailing as she tried to reach her previous grip. Alarmed, Nagisa side-stepped to catch her, expecting her to fall into him, but as he encircled his arm around her, her head hit his chin and sent sharp waves of pain at Mach 20 throughout their bodies.

"Ouch!" The two of them exclaimed together as one rubbed his chin and the other held her head. After a moment, Haven slowly turned around and the two looked at each other, a slight dusting of red settling on their cheeks.

"You okay?" Nagisa asked the girl leaning heavily into his chest. Blushing, she nodded and he snaked his arm around her waist to hold her closer. Haven's hand resting lightly on his upper arm, the bluenette tentatively took hold of the horizontal bar once again, and the two stood there, supporting each other amidst the movement of the train.

Attentive tiger orange eyes scanned the swaying train car as the new arrivals squeezed their way into the aisles. It wasn't as crowded as their trains in Japan, but he felt just as suffocated. Leaning back against the cold steel wall with crossed arms, Karma shot a furtive glance at the auburn bob moving towards him through the crowd. Fia suddenly fell through a sliver in the pack of sardines and did the flapping chicken hop to regain her balance. Karma chuckled as she straightened out her clothes and smiled awkwardly behind darkening cheeks.

"You okay?" he asked, an amused smile springing to his lips.

Loose curls bounced with the quick nodding of her head and a light, awkward giggle. "I think so… What are you doing all the way back here?"

Slitted eyes glanced again at the crowd. "Enjoying the view." He smirked. "What about you? Why are you standing all the way back there? I don't bite, you know… Usually, anyway." His canine teeth glinted bone-white under the pulsing tunnel lights as they perforated the windows.

"Somehow I'm not convinced." Fia replied skeptically but with a small smile. Hesitantly and carefully, moving in contrast to the jerking movement of the train to keep steady, she took a step towards her redheaded friend. "Actually, I came here because the buddy system is super important - the number, number, absolute number one rule to safety!" Huffing, she blew out her cheeks with a demanding look gracing her red face.

He smiled inwardly as the train burst from the tunnel and onto the elevated railway, looming over bustling downtown streets, and natural light flooded into the car. The locks sticking to Fia's face from the humidity shined with a pink glow where the sunlight came to rest in the dip of her loose waves and winged eyelashes. Her cheeks flushed the same color of her jutting, pouted bottom lip and her fists stayed clenched in front of her chest, unbreathing and expecting. Suppressing the rush of blood reaching like spiderweb veins up to his face, he smirked.

"Are you sure that's the only reason? You didn't want to see me~?" he asked teasingly, masking an embarrassed smile. Was that too soon…?

Fia's face flushed and her lip quivered. Disarmed, she stuttered incoherently for a second before stepping towards him and shoving his chest lightly. "N-No! I j-just wanted t-to…" She trailed off, leaving only her stubborn face to defend herself - albeit poorly - against the unwavering topaz eyes peering down at her. Faltering, Fia hugged herself and stepped back as she cast a glance in the direction of windows. "I actually just wanted to enjoy the view with you."

Suddenly, having been brushed from behind by a passing stranger, Fia stumbled forward a step.

"Oh, sorry about that."

"It's not a problem," she laughed, "It happens. Busy day, huh?" Fia smiled reassuringly at the passenger and turned back to Karma with an embarrassed smile but she felt herself being bumped forward again. "It's really crowded in here, isn't it?" she asked him.

"Sure, that's the problem," he said acidically, almost sarcastically, as he glared at some phantom behind and unbeknownst to her.

Fia sighed. "I just meant -" She was bumped again, this time by what felt like a hand sliding precariously low on her lower back. The girl attempted to turn around but was pulled back by the waist and found herself caged between Karma's arms and the heavy steel wall of the train car.

"Sorry, I let my guard down." Karma apologized but his voice was as unyielding as the metal under his palms. Relaxing one arm to give Fia some room to breathe, he sighed. "Are you okay?"

Fia tilted her head slightly, not completely sure of what had come to pass, but nodded and lightly grasped his outstretched arm for support. She tried to keep her gaze focused on the window across from her but she couldn't see beyond the crowd and every tremble of the train would bring Karma back into her view. Eventually, acknowledging that he was likely protecting her from the pressure of the crowd, she gave into meeting his gaze.

The redhead alternated between throwing villainous glances at the lecherous men and the girl staring curiously up at him. He placed his hand lightly on her head. She was definitely too trusting of other people, but he couldn't say that he hated that because it meant that… she could always see the best in him too. Heaving a sigh, he removed his hand and brushed off hers, despite the protesting pout that came to her face. Not yet. Not the wrong idea that this was still okay.

Just across from the steady, silent pair was a stumbling blonde who repeatedly bumped into the man next to her with every leap and bound of armor-clad Hermes. Falling into the man again, she let her fingers and full chest splay out against his muscular chest.

"Oh, I'm sooo sorry! I just can't seem to keep my balance here!" she said with pinkening cheeks and a fixed azure gaze.

"I'm sure I've seen you in plenty of situations where you needed more balance than this, Irina." The man she was leaning against sighed and pushed her back, steadying her in his hands.

"I wanted you to hold me, Tadaomi," Irina pouted. "It's too crowded not to lean against you anyway. I swear sometimes, you're such a square." She huffed and crossed her arms.

"Oh," Karasuma blushed slightly and pulled his wife to him. "Why didn't you just say so?"

Nearby, their students all sweat-dropped. "He's definitely Da Densest," they thought simultaneously.

At the opposite end of the car, a ginger woman was rising repeatedly on her tip-toes in an attempt to catch glimpses of her college-age associates.

"So, everyone in our team has paired up, how about we do the same?" Classified grinned at his shorter, orange-haired counterpart, draping his arm over her shoulders.

"In your dreams, Scott," Noriko glared up at him, removing his arm.

"Not even close," Classified smirked and chuckled.

"Why didn't you let me go to the other end of the train?"

"Oh, no reason," Classified whistled innocently, a bit too innocently. "If nothing else, it's entertaining to watch their interactions without you butting in sometimes."

"You're enjoying this way too much…" Noriko sighed and shook her head in defeat. "I'd say shipping them was creepy, but they're all legal, so it's just nosey. I still don't approve of relationships between colleagues though."

Classified gave her a grin that rivaled a Cheshire Cat's. "Don't they all look so cute though?"

Noriko rolled her eyes at her mentor and sighed. "So long as none of them get together."

"Too late for that!" Classified sniggered and pointed to Haven and Nagisa. "I believe those two are officially together."

* * *

"Welcome to Chicago, the Windy City. I'm Benny, your tour guide today." The boy in front of the group of two dozen tourists began to speak but he was abruptly interrupted by a substantial gasp.

"Benny? Is that really you?" Fia asked aloud, a little too audibly. She blushed as she tried to hide from the stares of the tourists around her.

"Fia? What are you doing here?" the boy wearing a blue and red Chicago shirt replied in surprise.

"Well… W-We're here on a v-vacation of sorts…" Scratching her cheek and averting her gaze, Fia sweatdropped.

"Why are you here, Benny?" Haven asked bluntly.

"I-I live in Chicago… I'm sure I told you that before…" Benny faltered.

"I guess I wasn't listening when you said that…"

Feeling awkward because of Benny's sudden reappearance, Nagisa rubbed the back of his head and attempted to discreetly move behind Karma and out of Benny's direct line of sight. Seeing Nagisa move, Haven hurriedly followed suit, albeit embarrassedly when she took her boyfriend's hand.

Karma sweat-dropped and turn to look at the pair. "What are you doing?"

"Hiding behind your wall of tall!" they hissed back.

Rolling his eyes, the taller redhead turned around, only to be leaned into by the Italian. "What are you doing?" he asked cautiously.

"Spaces mean penetrable places! We're a wall, after all," she replied simply with an earnest smile.

With an amused expression, Karma ruffled her hair and let his arm fall loosely around her shoulders. "How about inseparable instead of impenetrable?" he proposed, deciding to humor her.

"Hehe, sounds good to me." Fia giggled lightly when she was startled by a shout.

"YOU TWO ARE A COUPLE?!" Benny and Noriko exclaimed together.

"You're going out with HIM?" the tour guide asked incredulously, sending terrified glances at the redhead, who quirked an eyebrow at him.

Noriko placed her hands very firmly on Haven and Nagisa's shoulders as she looked between them and their clasped hands. "So, I hear you two are a couple," she said smoothly, her eyebrow twitching ever so obviously.

The auburn-haired girl pulled herself quickly away from Karma and put her hands up defensively. "N-No, we're n-nothing like th-that!"

"Yes, we are dating -" Nagisa began, throwing nervous looks between Noriko, Benny, and his other housemates.

"You got a problem with me?" Karma asked the flinching brunette with a toothy smirk.

"Is there a problem with it?" Haven inquired towards the stern-faced woman.

"I mean… Rebecca was spreading a lot of rumors about you getting into fights second semester… And the girls… She always has a lot to say about that too…" Benny rambled slightly. "And you didn't exactly give me the best first impression… What with you wielding a knife and all…"

Nagisa smiled and laughed dryly, a sweat bead rolling down his cheek. "And I don't think we're giving the best impression to these other tourists," he mumbled among the shouting.

"We could have been like that…" Fia sighed to herself, covering her reddening face with her hands. Completely embarrassed by all of the sudden attention, she yelled "I'm sorry!" and ran into the depths of the crowd.

Rolling his eyes, Karma shoved his hands in his pockets and left the rambling brunette standing there as he disappeared into the group of tourists.

Noriko's hands clenched on their shoulders, Haven and Nagisa were suddenly in the center of attention. Benny stared at the trio with a slightly hurt expression as he noticed the shorter two were holding hands. Abruptly, a bouncy blonde, clad in scandalously fashionable clothing, blocked his view.

"What's the holdup here?" she asked loudly, irritation evident in her voice.

"Wha?" Benny's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You're that theater teacher Fia had! The one that made her act like a little sister! What are you doing here?"

"I'm on vacation with my husband, you brat! Why aren't we preceding with the tour?" Jelavic declared.

From somewhere among the cluster of people came a strangled, startled squeak. "W-We don't t-talk about that! WAIT, WHO EVEN TOLD YOU - REBECCA." The voice made a strangled groan.

Benny flinched as a tall, muscular man suddenly came to loom over them.

"What are doing? And what are you wearing? We're here for work, not a vacation," the man said with a scowl.

"Travel is no excuse not to look devastatingly fashionable," she stated flatly.

"You stick out like a sore thumb - go change."

"What's wrong with a little style? We're here in the big city -"

"Come on, Irina. You're smarter than this. Please, change," he requested with a softer tone.

"You're such a square, Tadaomi… But if you're that worried about me…" She crossed her arms with a small huff and pink cheeks.

"Who cares what she's wearing! We have an itinerary, a schedule, a place to be! Let's get going!" Noriko screeched. She pulled a pressed pamphlet from her bag and waved it. "According to this, we should be at the John Hancock by now!"

"Calm down, Chihuahua," Classified finally came forward, wiping tears from his eyes and patting the orange haired girl on the head like a puppy with an amused, cheeky grin.

"I am NOT a chihuahua! My name is Noriko, Noriko Tachibana!" she shrieked in reply, her face turning red.

"Um… Well, a-as I was saying. My name is Benny -" Benny clapped his hands together "- your tour guide today."

* * *

Haven and Nagisa sat across from Fia and Karma in the flexible joint of the 60ft hybrid bus. Black eyes met with blue ones as Haven and Nagisa simultaneously sighed bitterly. While their feet dangled, Karma and Fia's feet seemed to rest comfortably against the floor.

Noticing their sour faces, Fia let out a strained laugh. "Well, I think you guys are lucky! You guys get to swing your legs and that's a lot of fun - I'll be quiet now." She sighed and shot a pleading glance up towards Karma, who avoided her gaze with a deft sigh. Blowing her hair out of her face with a huff, Fia's frustration took the form of an audible blubber lips.

Noriko gripped the bars on either side of the bus and faced her subordinates. "Well, that was an informative tour, wasn't it?"

A cloud of dread spread among the four seated passengers.

"It was interesting to say the least," Nagisa sighed, trying to break the silence. "Was it really a cow that started the Great Chicago Fire?"

"Isn't that their soccer team?" Fia asked absentmindedly.

"It's a legend… but I haven't heard any better theories," Haven replied as she swung her feet. "Speaking of hearing things, I heard a certain friend of mine asked a certain redhead out and was rejected."

Nagisa flinched, nearly falling out of his seat. "Wait, what? Fia, you asked Karma out? No, wait, Karma, you said 'no'? Wait, wait, wait. How did I not know about this? None of you three thought to tell me?"

Fia pulled her shirt collar up around her cherried face. "In our defense, we didn't tell anyone… At least I didn't." She stole a furtive glance at the annoyed-looking redhead.

"I was just informed myself," Haven held up her phone.

"It wasn't me. That damned blabbermouth," Karma muttered as he let his head fall back on the accordion-like wall of the bus.

Fia looked up to him in dismay. "How did she find out anyway…?"

"One less couple I have to worry about," Noriko muttered under her breath.

Four pairs of unamused eyes slunk towards the seemingly-satisfied woman.

Withholding a pained expression, Fia begrudgingly emerged from her turtle shell of a shirt. "I guess you're right, Ms. Tachibana…" She didn't catch the regretful pair of orange eyes gazing down at her.

"There is that saying that gingers are soulless… I'm now wondering if it's actually true," Haven's gaze kept switching between Karma and Noriko.

"What does that mean?!" Noriko scowled at the white-haired girl.

Karma eyed the glaring short girl. "Don't try to start this with me today. You'll regret it." He narrowed his eyes, purposefully missing the concerned gaze of the girl beside him.

"Today's as good as any other day." Coal eyes narrowed in response. "Why shouldn't I?"

"What would you know about my decision anyway? What do you care?" he spat back.

"I know many of them have hurt my best friend for months. Why wouldn't I care? I obviously care more than you seem to," Haven's onyx eyes glinted with fierce anger.

"I'm trying to do the right thing here, this time, so just drop it, alright?" Karma responded solemnly.

"This one hurt her the most, so I don't know what you're talking about by the 'right thing,'" her voice dripped with acid and was as cold as liquid nitrogen.

Casting a glance at Karma, glaring but frozen under Haven's sharp gaze, Fia sent a strained smile at all of her housemates. "Can we please just try to get along? This shouldn't be such a big deal. I-I'm fine…"

"It was bound to happen, Fia, as soon as Haven found out," Nagisa sighed.

"Hey, guys… Maybe we should, um… Drop this?" Noriko panicked.

"And what? Just drop it all together like Fia did, only to yell about it later?" Haven snapped.

"But," the girl protested, "I knew that it would upset you so I didn't want to say anything." Fia tried pleading her case to her friend. "I'm okay, really."

"Like hell, it's okay!" Have turned to her friend, "I've noticed how you've been sighing and refusing to meet the gaze of that guy! Moreover, do you think I'm okay? My best friend goes through this and doesn't tell me! I hear this from Rebecca, freaking gossipy Rebecca, a month later!"

"That goes for me too, Karma, Fia," Nagisa added. "I really thought that we were getting closer."

"We are! I mean, we were." Fia sighed exasperatedly. "But, Haven, I knew you'd be upset because you… You always looks like you have such disdain for Karma. I-I couldn't really believe that you would ever support us being together in the first place! It really hurt to think that you could never accept him as the one I… That I love!" She brought her hands to her temples as a pained expression wrought tears streaking down her face. "I… really didn't want to have to say that again…" Her eyes widened as a warm hand soothingly rubbed the back of hers for just a moment. She gave the boy next to her a fleeting, thankful glance and shut her eyes tightly, willing away the rest of her tears before turning to face her best friend again.

Haven's eyes flickered to their hands for a second before looking back at Fia. She hesitantly spoke softly, "Yes, I don't like the guy, but I had come to accept the fact that you liked him. I-I'm not that insensitive… I could have been there to listen at the very least. Maybe not before, but definitely after. And if not me, you could have gone to Nagisa."

Nagisa smiled ruefully at Karma. "I know you've always been guarded, I understand that even, but we've been friends since junior high and you didn't think you could tell me? Or at least tell me something was wrong? If not for your sake, Fia's? Ours?"

"I just thought it would be better for everyone if we could keep going on like everything was okay -" Fia began, casting cautious glances at Karma.

"You don't need to keep trying to defend me," Karma interjected sharply, "I don't need you to - I don't _need_ you."

Dulling green eyes widened and tight-pressed lips grimaced as Fia flinched. "I was just trying to help but… But I guess I was just lying to myself." Fia brought her arms around herself with a bittersweet smile and moved to an empty seat at the front of the bus. Frustratedly punching the nearest metal pole, Karma cringed and abruptly made his way to the back-most seats.

"Shouldn't you two… Go talk to them?" Noriko suggested and sweatdropped as she saw the glare that statement received.

"Those two probably need their space right now…" Nagisa said with a weary smile.

Noriko nodded and headed over to the green ponytail she spied. She flopped down in the seat next to him.

"Should we contact Jelavic and Karasuma? I don't know how they handle those four…" the orange haired girl sighed.

"No. I don't think interrupting their briefing with the Japanese government would be a good idea."

"How long have you been here anyways?"

"Since the start."

"Why didn't you intervene?"

"Those children needed to get that out." Classified patted Noriko's head.

"Stop with the head patting already, Devon!"

"Not even close!" Classified chuckled hollowly. "Besides I have a plan to help everyone get along."

* * *

"You'll be locked in here in your hotel room until you each answer the questions with a satisfactory reply," Classified said smugly over the intercom.

"What is this madness?!" Noriko screeched.

"Team bonding! Think of this as the larger version of the get-along shirt~" he sang. "Be glad it is larger and roomier than an actual shirt. I was tempted to order one of those."

"Fine, but why aren't you, Jelavic, and Karasuma in here as well?"

"They're busy and, well… I'm classified, so you're not allowed to know my information."

"I'm gonna kill you, Kevin!"

"Close, but no cigar. First up, full name and age please!"

"How did you get metal sheeting on the windows already?!"

"Well, there goes our escape route… What if there's a fire?"

"That's not an answer," Classified replied. "I'll be the one asking the questions here. Let's get this over with so we don't have to deal with that."

"Noriko Tachibana, age 25. I know he once said I was only two years older than you guys, but that wasn't true."

"Wow, a whopping 2 years difference. Good to know," Karma scoffed.

"Tch, I graduated from college at your age," Noriko bragged.

"And there were people who graduated at 10," he replied with a shrug.

"I'm sure they weren't changing households every few years."

"Anyways, notice anything?" Classified called.

"About what?" Karma sighed as he took a seat on the floor and leaned against one of the beds. "That could mean just about anything. What? You mean the metal sheets on the windows and doors? The hidden microphones and the speakers that you've installed?" Karma pulled a microphone out from under the mattress as emphasis and twirled it around his fingers. "No, we didn't notice at all that we've been put in time-out like a bunch of kindergarteners and are being forced to 'talk it out' like that will solve all of our problems."

"At least it's a start," Nagisa replied. "We had to do something and sitting around and glaring at each other wasn't going to help anything. While I don't like the situation either, I think it could really help if we just try to make it work." Getting a grumpy but accepting look from Karma, Nagisa turned to look at Fia, who sat curled up on the bed and staring at the floor. He sighed and turned to see Haven springing into action.

As if by instinct, the white-haired girl felt for her pockets. Haven checked her phone first and placed it on the coffee table. Next, she got the iPod from her pocket, an expression of growing panic on her face. She checked her smartwatch and pulled a tablet from her bag, opening and placing it next to the phone on the table. Finally, she placed one side of the headphones around her neck on one of her ears and fiddled with the tablet.

"What did you do, Classified? No Wifi, Bluetooth is acting up, not even cellular service!"

"It's so you don't just blow this off. Let's get this over with and I'll turn off the signal jammers."

"Fine! Haven Lee, age… 20," the girl pouted in front of her small pile of toys.

Nagisa looked between the brooding pair with a sigh. "I'm Nagisa Shiota, 21."

Fia's head suddenly snapped up. "Wait… You're 21?" she asked incredulously. "Sorry, I just… thought that you were only 2 months older than Haven… You just… didn't seem like the oldest…" she explained slowly. "And… Karma, you never corrected me." She pouted protestingly.

Without moving his gaze away from the ceiling, the redhead shrugged. "I thought it was cute how excited you got," he mumbled.

Unsure of how to respond, Fia laughed dryly. "I guess I should have figured your age out earlier… Considering you drank with me on my birthday… H-Heh… Well, a-anyway, I'm Fiammetta Timo and I'm 21 years old."

"Is that really your last name though? I mean it's something else you've been keeping from me," Haven replied sourly.

Sighing heavily, Fia rested her head on her knees. "That's… That's my family's secret, not just mine…"

"Well, Fiammetta Timo is who you are now, right? It's a sufficient answer," Classified determined. "That only leaves you, Karma."

He sighed. "Karma Akabane. 21. I'd ask if we were done, but I suspect you have another question you want to ask, so spit it out already. We're not chat bots. If you're that desperate for conversation, why don't you go talk to Siri or something?"

Haven glared across the room. "Are you implying something, Akabane?"

After a slight pause, Karma locked eyes with the white-haired girl. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry." Sighing, he turned his gaze towards the door. "Can we move on already?"

"Good job there! Getting along is good. See what putting aside your pride can do?" Classified called.

Karma clenched his fist as a resentful, vengeful smile and a burst blood vessel appeared on his shadow-covered face. He failed to hide the desire to kill in his hornet golden eyes. "Don't patronize me."

"No promises. Next question: What's your major or how did you become an agent? How did you get into it?"

"I'm going to be a teacher," Nagisa said earnestly. "I had a really great teacher who… saw the potential in us, despite the fact that no one believed in us, not even ourselves, what with our drop out mentality. But with him and Mr. Karasuma and Ms. Bitch on our sides, we actually got a taste of respect and saw that we could do anything we put our minds to - I wouldn't be the same without him. I don't think any of us would." He caught the gaze of the solemn redhead. "I just want to give the same opportunity and empowerment to other kids who might not have hope otherwise. There shouldn't be another 'End Class' out there."

"That's really sweet, Nagisa…" Fia said softly. "I never had a teacher like that. Especially after Felix died, I didn't really have any friends, anyone to support me or tell me that I was on the right track, really. I… Threw myself into studying and housework instead to cope. I always had a vague interest in art, history, and science, I brought out one of Felix's old chemistry kits. I don't know what compelled me, but I thought I would try one of the color change experiments. Maybe it was because Felix had always let me be his 'Little Executive Lab Assistant' before but more importantly it was the first thing to make me feel… something since his funeral. With my parents fighting, I showed my little siblings what I could do and… As they stopped crying and began to smile, eyes filled with wonder - It was like healing magic and I the fairy or grand sorceress."

"But they're older now," Karma pointed out. "That the only thing motivating you to major in chemistry?"

"No…" Fia replied with a slight pout. "After that, I read up on how the reaction actually worked. Bonding and reactions became fun puzzles for me," she mused, giggling softly. "And I actually had a bit of wonder back in my life. Now I'm studying biochemistry in hopes that I can made medicines that help and heal people for real. I guess I never grew out of my fairy wings…"

"You could always put on a witch's hat and give me some of those shady concoctions~" Karma proposed suggestively.

"As if!" Fia threw a pillow at the smirking prankster, who turned just in time to get a face full of down. "In your dreams!"

"Speaking of, care to answer the question, Karma?"

Wearing an unamused expression, Karma pulled the pillow, going limp under his intense stare, away from his face. "Well, I'm aiming to be an economy politician, a bureaucrat so to speak." He gingerly rubbed the back of his neck. "I just respect what they do to defend the country, and, if politicians are devils, just wait until I join their ranks~. I'll have my own personal piggy bank~."

Haven sighed at Karma's devilish grin and began to answer the question. "As for how I got into coding, nine words: bored teenager with too much time on her hands. As for getting on this mission, originally, Fia and I were being blackmailed into helping because I blew the boys' cover. I'd been hacking government offices before this and even had a few job offers from CIA, FBI, and the likes, so I made a deal. I'd help on this mission and get a job for my troubles."

Nagisa smiled wryly at the white-haired girl sitting with her non-functioning technology sprawled out in front of her in an organized manner. "I can't say I'm surprised, Haven, but why coding? A bored teenager can get into anything so, of all the things you could have gotten interested in, why coding?"

"It was the easiest for me to access. There were tons of computers at my school and one at Aunt Joy's house, which is where I spent most of my time after school. Also, I could carry my code with me wherever I went using a USB drive or my own laptop once I got one," Haven shrugged. "Not to mention, it was inexpensive."

"I graduated from high school a year early. Then, I went to a military academy, mainly because the government paid for it all. Then I got scouted and recruited by the CIA. I was scouted by Professor Larry Von Heckle. That was not his actual name, though. I'm still trying to figure that out. He said I could if I paired up with him. Right, Larry?"

"I've already told you that's not my name," Classified's chuckle rang through the room. "And I deem the answer unsatisfactory."

"Fine. The reason I accepted was because when an agent dies in the line of duty, two funerals are held: one for other members of the force and another for civilians who knew the agent, like their family members or other friends. I will only have the former service though and maybe a few people will show up in that room to mourn my passing. But at the other one, the one for family, probably will not happen. Keeping state secrets, spying, doing dangerous jobs, it all has to be done. But the work is unsavory. They're jobs that make family members worry. I don't have parents or siblings waiting for me to come home for the holidays, so I can do my job without worrying about how my death will affect others."

"I'll give you the liberty of knowing my answer to this question. I was the oddball of the family… Kinda. While the other members of my generation were becoming admirals and generals, I took the more classified route," the voice paused and three in the room groaned at the really bad pun. "Why you ask? Because I get more freedom this way. I don't have to wear a uniform or go to flag raising ceremonies and the like. Plus the higher ups don't have complete hissy fits when I go protocol-shmotocol!"

"Now, say one bad thing and two good things about each of your teammates."

Sighing softly at his teammates' silence, Nagisa spoke up first. "Well, Karma, I've known you the longest so… I've always really admired how cunning and intelligent you are. You did graduate at the top of our class!" Nagisa began cheerfully. "Except… You also use your talents to torture the rest of us and blew off class for most of the year… " He sweat-dropped. "But I know you actually work really hard for what you want! I've… always been a little jealous of your physical and mental abilities.

"Except he uses that strength to start petty fights!" Haven commented.

"That's hysterical coming from you, your royal pettiness." Karma stuck his tongue out at her with a snide look.

"What's that supposed to mean, Akabane?!" the white-haired girl arched an eyebrow.

The entire room sweat-dropped and turned to look at each other, murmuring in agreement: "Haven is petty."

"Well, at least I didn't let my pride get the best of me when I was afraid to ask out the person I liked!" she spat.

Quelling his simmering anger, Karma took a deep breath. "I'm not so prideful to admit I was wrong to do that, and that I regret every moment of that." He caught the eyes of each of his housemates individually. "And I'm sorry," he said slowly, "to all of you."

"Well, do you two have anything positive to say about the other?" Noriko smiled nervously at the two.

Sighing, Karma put his arms behind his head. "Well… About then… Your pranks - You've got ingenuity, and I respect your mad hacking skills. I'd have to be blind not to recognize at least that."

"And, Karma, as much as I hate to admit it, you're not that bad yourself… Um… Well… I appreciate how much you have been helping Fia… up until recently anyways. And you're very clever as well. Those pranks at Halloween were really good. And well… when you apply yourself, you can be extremely dedicated." Haven replied begrudgingly.

Karma nodded slightly and turned to look at his bluenette friend. "Nagisa, I think you could use a little help speaking up for yourself sometimes, but I admire your innate talent in assassination and… how supportive and open you are with your friends."

"You are a bit too neutral at times," Haven nodded her head. "And I haven't really seen your work as an assassin, but I do agree that you're really supportive of all of us and you tolerate all of our bickering really well."

"And there's the fact that he looks like a girl. It's really useful in our line of work," Karma smirked.

"I can see how that could be advantageous," Haven nodded her head slowly. "Have you ever used it to for a job before?"

"Well, there were those two times with Norita-kun…" Karma began, smiling.

"W-Why did you have to bring that up?" Nagisa exclaimed. "I thought we were over that!" His cheeks burned scarlet and he scowled unhappily at the redhead.

"You should be proud. It's a well known fact that being androgynous is an asset in this field of work. Who was Norita-kun? Was he a difficult target?" Noriko asked.

Nagisa sweatdropped. "I haven't used it for any actual missions…" The boy then turned back to the redhead, "And why bring up Norita-kun? That happened in middle school!"

"Well, it makes stealing your clothes easier," Haven mumbled softly enough that only Nagisa could hear. A dusting of red settled on the cheeks of the boy next to her.

"Is that where all of my hoodies disappeared to?" He whispered back. The girl next to him turned scarlet in response and Nagisa chuckled softly at the obvious confirmation.

Suddenly, Noriko walked across the room and sat between them.

"Was that really necessary?" Haven pouted as the three of them were squashed on a couch meant for two.

Nagisa smiled ruefully. "Um… Ms. Tachibana…" he started carefully. "Why did you suddenly sit here, between us, on the couch? There was plenty of room on the other seat. It's not that we don't want you here," he attempted, "but a little space would be nice."

"Yes. Space would be nice. Nagisa, go sit somewhere else," the older woman replied and tried to shove the boy off the couch.

"Why should he?" Haven protested, "He was sitting there before you were! Why do you keep trying to get between us?"

Noriko looked at the two with confusion.

"You're being a cock block and those two don't appreciate it," Karma explained, a very bored expression gracing his devastatingly handsome face.

"Well, romantic relationships between coworkers is a bad idea, especially in this line of work, it can become a setback."

"We still don't appreciate it, Ms. Tachibana," Nagisa pointed out. "Going with our prompt… While I understand your point, the way you go about things can be a little overbearing," Nagisa said slowly.

"Not to mention you're always screaming in our ears," Karma added.

"You deserved it this morning -" Noriko protested.

The redhead put his hands up in defense. "Even so. We can't get much done with you always screeching. We're not deaf, but you might make us that way."

Nagisa turned to face the stern-faced woman with sincerity. "I respect your dedication to your job and your responsibility and organization but -"

"You can be a bit bossy," Haven finished bluntly.

Karma shrugged. "You're great at your job, but we're pretty good at ours too. Point is, we can't do our jobs if you keep treating us like your other underlings."

"We're a team," Nagisa explained, trying to be helpful. "We just want to act like one. So… Can we maybe call you Noriko instead of Ms. Tachibana? It might help."

"I don't screech and I don't talk down to you either - nor am I bossy! Now, let's get this over with! I have important matters to deal with. Fia, do some talking!" the orange haired lady screeched. In response, the four other people in the room gave her pointed looks. "Very well… You might have a point. You can call me by my first name and I will work on being less bossy," Noriko said, relenting, "but I'm still not alright with a relationship between co-workers!" she added.

"Well, it's progress," Nagisa admitted with a small smile.

"Is that all?" Noriko inquired impatiently.

"And maybe you could lighten up and learn to have some fun once in awhile," Classified added. "Your seriousness is seriously suffocating sometimes.

Irritatedly ignoring Classified, Noriko turned to face her teammates. "Well, thank you for the… erm, review. I shall do the same for you."

"I'll critique Shiota first. Most of what I had to say has already been said. What I will add to that is your note-taking skills are extraordinary. The notes you gave me from when Lee and Timo were turned into children were extremely detailed and well organized. Your meticulousness and observance would make a good scientist."

"And Lee, you're easily offended… a bit too easily, especially when the criticisms come from Akabane. You also seem very independent, which can be a good thing. You don't have to rely on others to get things done. However, you seem to forget that it's okay to get help from others when you really need it, like on the CTA today. You are obviously very intelligent though."

"Akabane, you definitely seem like a troublemaker and your behavior is sometimes rash and childish. But although it's not apparent to everyone, you care for your friends, including Haven."

"Why do you think that? You've barely met me and I'm sure my reputation precedes me." Karma shot the woman a critical glance.

"It's easy. You protected Fia from the perverts on the CTA even though you two had a falling out, and you let Haven and Nagisa hide behind you during the tour," Noriko swiftly replied.

"I've known Nagisa since middle school. Haven just happened to be there as well," the redhead commented as he looked up at the ceiling with a bored expression.

"Not for the entire tour. Sometimes only Haven was hiding behind you and you knew it," Noriko replied.

The boy stared at Noriko with darkening cheeks, a scowl, and a little bit of newfound respect. Damn, her observational skills were on par with Nagisa's, maybe even better. He would need to take care not to underestimate the ginger-haired woman again. Caught up in a swirl of thoughts, he didn't notice the surprised look the girl next to Noriko sent him.

"Finally, Timo, you try to always be the peacekeeper. While this is usually a good thing, especially with your explosive friends, withholding information is not the answer. It'll just hurt someone later. You are very compassionate though and usually act for the good of others before acting for yourself."

"So, Fia, you haven't talked much. Do you have anything to add to the discussion?" Classified called.

From where she was sitting on the bed, her eyes raised from their spot on the floor with absolute agitation. Stubbornly, she turned her head the other way.

Knowing just how stubborn the Italian could be, the other four exchanged glances. Their gazes finally set on Haven, who shook her head with a mixture of anger and knowing that at the moment she would be unable to get her friend to open up. Three sets of eyes, one begrudgingly, landed on the redhead.

Karma rose to his feet and flopped down on the bed beside the scowling female. Yawning loudly, he stretched out his arms and legs, purposefully getting into her personal space, which she responded to with a look of disdain. She tried to ignore him, but he persisted with a few pokes to her side and face and laughed when she tried to resist him with flustered sissy-slaps.

"WOULD YOU CUT THAT OUT?!" Fia snapped.

"I can't," Karma replied, feigning a hurt look. He held up his hand for her to see. "You gotta understand, I hurt my hand earlier today when I was being stupid… And only you can fix it." He smiled softly and sat up. "So how about it?"

Hesitantly, Fia walked over to her bag and pulled out a first-aid kit before shuffling back over to Karma with a sigh. Taking a seat beside him and pulling his hand into her lap, Fia began to treat him.

Suddenly, her hands began to tremble and Fia grabbed the redhead by his shoulders before shaking him aggressively. "YOU'RE SUCH A _FOTTUTO IDIOTA (Fucking idiot!)!_ Why the heck would you punch a metal pole?! _Bastardo (Bastard,),_ are you trying to break your hand? You're so stupid you-you idiot! You jerk! You complete asshole! _Perché ho messo su con te? (Why do I put up with you?)_ Huh?" Fia began frustratedly hitting Karma with a pillow, sending feathers flying around the room. "Am I supposed to forgive you just because you hurt yourself?" she demanded as she threw the pillow at him with a final huff. " _A fanabla! (To hell!)"_

Karma ran his fingers along the back of his hand that had been so gingerly tended to despite the Italian girl's emotional outburst. He sat back with a rueful smile - at least he had managed to provoke her into talking - well, yelling. While her words did sting, they were nothing he wasn't used to hearing already, and anything was better than watching the girl isolate herself again.

"Am I supposed to forgive someone as prideful and disrespectful as you? With all your friggin' violent tendencies? _Che cazzo. (The fuck.)_ Not to mention all those stupid pranks you pull? You think I like being the butt of your sadistic jokes? Or to be teased? I have a damn name that isn't tsundere or chubby or stutters or pouty!" Fia's lip quivered as she caught the redhead's citric eyes. "And you know what else?" she asked in a wavering voice.

"I'm the idiot who's already forgiven your stupid self…" Fia admitted, tears ensuing a game of tag down her sloping cheeks. "Because you're teasing is… actually kind of fun… And that dumb sharp tongue of yours has… encouraged me to be myself more than anything else… And while you're wise-cracking makes it impossible for me to win a debate with you, your wit makes me laugh so much… Every day with you… is a day I feel… alive."

"And I respect that you follow your own way of being rather than conforming to anyone else, even if that does make you a bit difficult to be around sometimes. You've got your own values and ambitions, but you still stand up for the little guy - and we little guys need that sometimes," she giggled quietly. "You can be a little rough, but I feel safest when I'm with you. It's not the most obvious, but you're really helpful and sweet and… I'm sorry for yelling…"

Karma chuckled as he removed one of the feathers covering her her hair like powdered snow. "Well, can't say I didn't deserve it. At least we got our chatterbox back~."

Pouting with puffy cheeks, Fia gave him an unamused look. Slowly, her hand gripped the edge of the sheets. "You know what? TAKE THIS! YOU'RE SUCH A JERK!" Fia pushed the unsuspecting redhead over and threw the blankets over him. Laughter began to take hold of her as she tried to make a sushi roll out of Karma's struggling form.

He peeled back the edge of the blanket with an unamused smile and a pronounced blood vessel. "Your thyme is up, Timo~," he called threateningly.

She dead-panned. "Say that again!" Fia dared him. "Karma, Karma and I will pay you back dearly for that later!" She squeaked as Karma turned the tables on her and rolled her up in the blankets with a sadistic smile.

"You're going to do what now?" He sat on the Fia roll. "Aw, a cute little cannoli crushed under the weight of her own stupidity~."

"Who are you calling stupid, stupid? Fight me, cherry pop! Fight me!" She roared as she wriggled around in her cotton cocoon. "You're so mean!"

"Could you two please stop playing in the bed," Noriko huffed, brushing some feathers off of her shoulders. "You need to critique your other teammates as well."

Karma immediately pulled his hands away from the cannoli in surprise, but his movement sent her rolling down the bed.

"Ack! Well…" Fia began as she fell flatly onto the floor. She sat up with a whine and a throbbing lump forming on her forehead. Slowly, she peered at the faces of her companions and turned towards Karma with a scared expression.

Relenting, he dropped a light hand on her head. "Fia, you can be a bit air-headed, whiny, stubborn, overbearing, overprotective, and overall hard to deal with, stutters -" Karma began with a laugh. With every one of his words her pout jutted out just a fraction more. "But you're also… a sweet, genuinely caring person. And sometimes I wish I could be as honest as you."

Fia sighed, there was obviously no backing out now. "Nagisa, as Noriko said, I think it's great how studious you are but I… agree with Haven… I appreciate how supportive you are and how you go out of your way to be helpful. If anything, I think that you could… Like me… Stand to speak up more," she explained carefully.

"Noriko, I do agree with Karma… You can be a little bit shrill," Fia started, "although I know I sometimes yell a lot too, but I think it's great that you're so… fastidious and are willing to sacrifice for what you deem a worthy cause. Still, if you were to die, there would be people who would miss you… including us."

"And… Haven." Fia forced a shaky deep breath. "To be honest, Haven… You can be a little childish and temperamental, especially when you're feeling self-righteous. But… You're loyal - you've always supported me, and I'm sorry that I didn't realize that sooner."

"Fia… I'm going to be blunt," Haven replied.

"Aren't you always blunt?"

"Fine… Blunter than usual. You… you're over sensitive. You react to almost everything and you make so many puns… especially when you're with Earnest. But you're very patient and put up with all of the crud I do, which I'm thankful for because, I won't lie, I put you through a lot. And you're really sympathetic and think of others' feelings all the time, and I'm sorry for not thinking about why you kept that information from me before I called you out for it," Haven apologized.

"Oh goody. You two finally made up," Classified audibly smirked.

"And, Ned," a throbbing blood vein appeared on Noriko's forehead, "You're annoying and stubborn and cheeky and don't follow protocol and do whatever you want without thinking and you're way too secretive!"

"They call me 'Ned'," Classified sang, "They call me Devon. They call me 'him'. They call me 'Scott.' That's not my name, that's not my name, that's not my name. They call me 'Classified'..."

"Please stop! I hate that song," Haven interrupted his serenading, his forced solo concert. "I agree with Noriko. You're way too care free but at least you get your job done."

The other three in the room sweatdropped.

"We're almost done! Final question: Do you want to stay on this team?" Classified asked.

"Definitely," Haven and Noriko replied fiercely.

"Of course!" the pigtailed bluenette added cheerfully.

"Sure," Karma said, shrugging his shoulder with a lazy smile. "It's not like me to quit halfway and I have nothing better to do~. Where's the fun in leaving?"

Fia put on a small smile. "Yeah, I do…"

"Good job! You're all getting along now!" Classified called cheerfully.

"Shut up, Tony!" Noriko yelled and turned on the housemates. "And you four, put your stuff away! Boys, that means moving your stuff to the other room and then helping us clean up this mess!" She kicked a pillow near her foot.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Karma asked as he looked at the other three and picked up a cushion.

"PILLOW FIGHT!"

"A what?!" Noriko asked before she was bombarded with fluffy projectiles.

* * *

Left Brain: Noriko, it was kind of hypocritical of you to say that withholding information is not the answer. You're a CIA agent after all.

Karma: What's with the "his devastatingly handsome face," Left Brain? It's not like you to say that about me.

Left Brain: I was tired!

Right Brain: But it's true~ (o/3/o)

Haven: You may hold that opinion, but I hold a different one. Nagisa's much better looking. (blushie blushie kawaii desu)

Fia: (beginning to blush) I'm… With Right Brain on this one… (mumble mumble)

Left Brain: So, we've devolved into a battle between which is better looking… Well, I'm on Team Classified.

Noriko: As am I.

Classified: Well, I'm team flattered!

Fia: (surprised) Well… I won't disagree. Classified, you do have your own charm.

Jelavic: What about this guy? (points to Karasuma)

(awkward silence)

Left Brain: I mean, he's definitely a type, but not mine…

Karasuma and Nagisa: Can we please change topics!

Left Brain: Ok. So, Noriko, I heard that was your first pillow fight.

Noriko: So what if it was? (blushing)

Nagisa: Well, did you least least have fun?

Noriko: It was definitely a new experience and it was not completely unenjoyable.

Narrator: This chapter should have been posted so many weeks ago!

Left Brain: Sorry. (shrugs) Collaborating over long distances isn't easy. Speaking of so many weeks ago, Happy Belated Birthday to me!

Right Brain: (huffs) THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS! I wanted to be the one to do that (T^T) Who wishes herself a happy belated birthday?

Left Brain: Um… me?

Narrator: Well… do you want us to sing Happy Birthday or something?

Left Brain: NO! To quote Haven, "I don't see the appeal in celebrating one's birthday. One's worth is not gauged by one's age and quite frankly, it gets more and more depressing to celebrate the older you get."

Narrator: Well… onto the preview then. Next time, the great eight explore Chicago.


	40. Chapter 40: Get Go Time

"So, what's on the schedule today, Noriko?" Classified asked as he sat down at the breakfast table.

"Let's see," Noriko slipped her hand into her pocket. A look of panic grew on her face as she began rummaging through her other pockets as well. " I can't seem to find my itinerary," she panicked.

"Okay, crew, since Noriko can't lord over us and the rest of the agents aren't scheduled to get here until tonight, today we're going to the lake!" Classified announced.

"WHAT?! I'm positive that wasn't on the schedule!" Noriko screeched.

"You're yelling again," Haven reminded the ginger.

"Is there a reason we're going there?" Nagisa asked curiously.

"Team bonding!" Classified smiled.

"Haven't we had enough of that?" Haven asked as she took another bite of toast.

"Well, you kids have fun! Tadaomi's taking me shopping," Irina smugly announced.

Karasuma raised an eyebrow at Jelavic in surprise. "Since when? I thought we were going with them."

"It's 'cause you two ditched us yesterday," Classified wiggled his eyebrows.

Jelavic suppressed a screech of frustration. "What?! I don't want to have to babysit any damn brats!"

The green-eyed girl gave her mentor a hurt expression. "Ms. Jelavic…!"

"Don't take it personally, Fia," Jelavic huffed, "I just wanted to go on a date with Karasuma. The only thing we've done since we got to the States is work!"

"It'll be fun," Classified grinned.

Karma shot a suspicious look towards the green-haired man. "What are you scheming?"

* * *

"You just wanted to send them on dates, didn't you?!" Noriko fumed at her partner as they watched their companions board the ferris wheel in pairs.

Classified leaned against the wall. "No, I did it so they could have a panoramic view of the city."

"Thank goodness, you're finally being responsible," Noriko sighed in relief.

"Just kidding," her partner smirked to her dismay. "So what if I did? Can't I have my fun?"

"I just… I had to watch you go through hell when the old team broke up… All the messy conflicting interests afterwards were a pain," Noriko sighed, "I still don't really talk to any of them."

"I wouldn't call it Hell… Maybe a daily dose of torment and suffering, but not Hell. If we believe Dante, Hell is so much better," Classified joked.

"I'm being serious here," Noriko gave him an unamused look.

The man sighed. "Trying to keep your feelings hidden isn't an advantage, Noriko. In fact, it can cause strife and tension within a group. Just look at our teammates right now."

"You're talking about Karma and Fia, aren't you," Noriko replied. "I think I'm starting to understand… maybe. But what if things go wrong? Then everything will be a mess."

"Suppressing your thoughts from your teammates begins to isolates you from the get go. If things don't work out, at least you tried. I realize it was hard on you when the team split, but it all worked out in the end. You get to interact with people closer to your own age now, which quite frankly is a good thing."

"What's that supposed to imply?!" Noriko glared at the man next to her.

"You need to lighten up." Classified responded as he swiftly melted into the crowd.

"Hey! Wait up!" Noriko cried as she followed him in. "W-where are you?!" Noriko began to panic as she looked around. "Why did everyone decide to come here today!?"

* * *

Karma and Fia looked at each other, a dusting of red on their cheeks.

"You… you look nice today." Karma looked away from the girl, his face burning.

"Oh, thank you," the red of Fia's cheeks darkened slightly from the bright pink they already paraded. "It's a bit warm, isn't it?" She readjusted her collar and dropped her gaze as Karma looked back at her. He was staring at her, she could tell, and it made her face heat up warmer than stewing hot pot in July. She brought her gaze back to his face as orange eyes darted to the painted ceiling of the gondola.

Karma whistled somewhat boredly, a quiet tune that made Fia giggle ("Hello, Shooting Star," for the win!). Hearing her voice, he shot her a curious look but she shook her head and shrugged with a small smile. He smiled back, rather awkwardly, which made the girl across from him smile more, even while her gaze stayed downcast to the floor.

"Oh, a heads-up penny!" Fia gasped as she reached for the lucky Lincoln. Leaning forward with a grin, Fia boasted the bronze coin where Karma could see and was about to lean back when the redhead whispered, "Fia, wait." She paused and glanced curiously as his face carefully approached hers.

He leaned in slowly, as to not move the gondola, and paused just as their noses touched. Karma gently cupped the girl's face as to keep her, appearing slightly startled, from moving away. He couldn't wait or hold back anymore - the frustration was infuriating him. "Fia…"

"Karma…?"

"You can't see anything either, can you?" he whispered into her ear.

Fia sighed. "Not at all…" She joined Karma in looking first to Karasuma and Jelavic sitting across from each other on her left and then to Nagisa and Haven on her right. The pair in the middle of the gondola felt strangled by the palpable, rainbow sherbert, bubbly "lovey-dovey aura" each romantic couple was emitting if it wasn't already bad enough that they were blocking the views of the only two actually interested in seeing the Chicago skyline.

Sighing, Karma fell back in his seat and shrugged in a "what can we do?" kind of way.

Fia smiled apologetically back at him with a shrug of her own. "We could use this opportunity to sneak off for ice cream before they come back to their senses."

"We have the chance for delinquency and you choose ice cream?" he asked bewilderedly.

"Or funnel cake~. Oh, or churros! Or cotton can-"

"On second thought, I'm not surprised-"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Haha, nothing," he responded with a grin. "It'll be my treat but you sure you won't burst outta your swimsuit at this rate?"

* * *

Haven walked out of the changing rooms in a two-piece. It was black with pink polka-dots and lots of ruffles.

"You kind of look like a girl now," Karma joked when he saw her.

"Shut up, Akabane," she shot the boy a glare.

Fia gasped as she ran up to her friends, followed closely behind by Nagisa. "Haven! You look so cute!" she laughed.

"My aunt traded it out for my wetsuit," Haven mumbled.

"So that's what you look like when you don't cover yourself from head to toe," Fia chirped cheerfully.

"You say that, but…" Karma pointed at Fia's outfit.

She looked down; she had donned a short-sleeved hoodie and a pair of white shorts. Fia blushed and pouted up at him. "I don't plan on going into the water though… Or using the swimsuits my lovely female relations stuffed in my bag… or getting another sunburn in unpleasant places for that matter!" Her face turned red.

"Where's that?" He laughed. "Looks like you already have some on your face there~."

Fia's hands instinctively crossed over her chest. "D-do you h-have to ask?!"

Karma laughed and threw his arm around Nagisa's shoulders. "What about you, Nagisa? You sure you aren't exposing too much?" the redhead teased, referencing the fact that Nagisa wasn't wearing a shirt.

"I'm a boy!" He protested, lightly elbowing his friend.

The four laughed together and headed down to set up their things on the shore. A bit further up the coast sat two men. One of them winked at the girls ogling at them while the other stared over the lake stoically.

"Come on, Tadaomi, enjoy the view. Look at all these chicks hitting on us," Classified grinned at them, causing an outburst of shrieks from said girls, before turning to his friend. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important when I pulled you guys over here to help out."

"Not to worry. I don't do much of that work anymore and my boss suspects this group might have dealings in near us as well, which doesn't sit well with him. He was happy to send the help."

"I'm really sorry that it was on such short notice," Classified said.

"I must admit, I was surprised to hear about the break up. You were a dynamic team for years. What happened?"

"Oh look!" Classified pointed at some of the younger agents splashing around in the lake. "They look like they're enjoying themselves. Let's go join them."

"So, are you going to answer the question?"

"What do you want me to say? However I tell you, there will be a villain and I don't think that's completely correct." Classified gave a forced smile. "Well, to being bachelors forever, right?" Karasuma gave him a sideways glance. "Wait… You're married now…" Classified corrected. "To me being forever alone."

Suddenly, one of the ladies surrounding them came closer. "Hey, hot stuff," she winked at Tadaomi. Classified flung his arms up and gave his friend a look that clearly read why do they always fall for you? Suddenly, a loud screech could be heard throughout the beach. Everyone looked to the well-endowed blonde producing the noise as she raced towards Tadaomi.

"Um… ma'am, you might want to run now," Karasuma urged his admirer.

"Yeah," Classified nodded in agreement. "His wife is hella scary. But I'm free."

The woman looked at him in his neon green speedo with slight curiosity as she walked away. As she left, Irina jumped into Tadaomi's lap and jeered at the other woman. "Keep your hands and eyes away from him! He's already taken!"

Classified looked at the couple next to him. "That's quite the woman you got there Tadaomi…" he sweatdropped

* * *

"Who's that?" Karma asked as a girl with skin slightly lighter than the sand waved at them.

"That's Haven," Fia replied as she adjusted the colored towels under their umbrella to sit more comfortably.

"But isn't Haven ghostly pale?" he responded with a quirked brow.

"She has light skin, but she's only the color of death because she's almost always inside," Fia explained.

"Um… doesn't it look like her skin is slightly red as well…?" Nagisa commented.

"Haven, be sure not to get a sunburn," Fia warned gently. "I'll put on more sun block for you, come here."

"I think I've had enough sun for now anyways," Haven ran back and sat under the umbrella. She pulled her laptop, covered in a waterproof/sand-proof plastic cover, out of her backpack and began typing.

Nagisa smiled wryly and took a seat next to Haven as he wrapped his towel around the both of their shoulders. He pulled out a book and his notebook, scribbling something about Chicago's geography before opening his book to a worn black bookmark with a yellow smiley face.

Not wanting to disturb the peaceful couple, sighing contentedly against the other, Fia turned to Karma. "Where's Noriko?" she asked.

"Something about going to find her lost itinerary."

"Isn't that going to be impossible in a city of this size?" Fia's eyes widened in shock.

"Knowing that stubborn woman, she'll probably find it in the end," he replied lazily. "What about you?"

"What about me?" she inquired carefully.

"You haven't left this spot since we got here," he pointed out.

"Not true! I have scooted 6 and a half inches this way to stay in the shade!" Fia argued back.

"Not what I mean, you goof." Karma flicked the girl's forehead, an action which resulted in profuse whining.

"Um…" Fia faltered. "I guess… I can try to step in the water." She got up slowly and brushed herself off before lumbering slowly to where the waves were crashing over the shore. She let the water cascade over her feet and Karma began to smile - that is until her tiny silhouette began making a beeline back towards the umbrella.

Karma stood up and moved to intercept the girl by the waist halfway down the beach. "What's wrong?" he asked the girl with her eyes glued to her sand-caked feet.

"Nothing, I just…"

"Just?" the redhead asked softly as he let go of her form.

The girl sighed and shook her head. "I'm-"

"Fia's what?" Nagisa asked Haven with big blue eyes.

Haven's coal eyes flicked towards her boyfriend. "Afraid of drowning and thus deep bodies of water," she answered slowly. "I thought something was wrong when she never went canoeing with our group at camp, and my suspicion only increased when Benny invited us to Magic Waters and she adamantly refused. I wasn't planning on going from the start but I thought that Fia would at least enjoy it. It finally clicked when we were watching some dramatic survivor movie and one of the protagonists went over the raft during a storm. She drowned. Fia looked absolutely mortified."

Nagisa glanced worriedly down towards the auburn-haired girl, pulling off her hoodie and shorts carefully by the water.

"Are you sure about this?" Fia glanced at the redhead standing up to his waist in the dark water.

He waved her over with a grin. "Yeah, but I promise it's only half as cold as the arctic."

"I'm sure," she answered between nervous laughs. Her arms holding her body reassuringly, Fia carefully waded in as she kept glancing at Karma's outstretched hand. She grasped it quickly and clung to his arm like a child to her inner tube.

Karma smiled down at the girl. "I've got you - but now you can't get away. Nice bikini by the way, Fia~," he laughed as he sprayed some residual water from his hand onto her face.

"Eep! Hey, that's cold!" Fia pouted as she elbowed him. "And… thanks." She shivered as the breeze whipped past them. "Okay, you were right, it is like the arctic - can I get out now?" She looked hesitantly towards the safe, solid, and sandy shore, where kids were building sand castles under the warm sun.

Nagisa looked back towards Haven, who had gone back to typing. "Do you know why she's afraid of drowning?"

Haven shrugged nonchalantly. "No, I hadn't really thought to ask."

"I do know how to swim!" Fia protested as she reluctantly was lead into a crouching position in the water by Karma and willfully had to ignore the crisp, chilling crests swirling around her shoulders. She gripped the hands of the redhead sitting across from her tighter.

"Then what?" he asked patiently.

"I just… remember being little and tumbling into one of the ravines. I-It was so cold that I couldn't move and I couldn't fight the current and my sister she - she tried to come in after me but it was too strong for her too and we both went racing down and down. The river kept pushing me down and down and down into its icy grip and I hit rock after rock after rock. I-It was so cold I could hardly feel it but I could hear her crying too - or maybe it was my own, I don't know. She was finally able to grab me and we washed up on some bank somewhere but we we couldn't move we were so battered that we just had to wait… Wait until one of the search parties found us, shivering and on the brink of consciousness."

"…"

"I wish that it had just stopped there," she continued, "but I heard how they talked, said how it was just fate for me to lose my siblings like every other girl in my family does - that's just how it works apparently."

"What do you mean-?"

"But then we move to the States, away from all that, right? Felix takes me to a camp to make friends and on the very first canoe trip, I am last in line, the slowest of the slow, but that's okay because I was enjoying the view, right? I guess not because _fratello_ was leading the line when my boat tipped and I was just too quiet or too far back to be heard any more. I wanted to call out to Haven and Earnest but they were power rowers and so far ahead… I thought I was going to die there… I was lucky that one kid was having a hard time doing more than turning in circles and spotted me! By the time Felix got to me, I was already under," she sighed.

"Fia…"

"The ocean terrifies me because… unlike the others… it can come in, chase you, and steal you away. The waves give you a brief moment of hope and then - then they drag you back forcefully, terrifyingly, and there's nothing you can do but hope, hope someone sees you, comes to save you, and doesn't get caught up in it themselves. It's so scary. It doesn't take more than a couple meters to drown, but I used to be able to swim that every day for fun. And it only takes a few minutes, a few moments… Isn't that… horrifying?"

Green eyes glanced forlornly at the shore where the incoming tide was eating away at the castle ruins that stood bravely in its wake. Karma let go of Fia's hands slowly and thought quietly for a few moments.

"Yeah, it is," he answered quietly.

"But then… Wasn't she terrified? When you and Karma fell into the lake last winter?" Nagisa asked tentatively.

The white-haired girl's fingers paused, hovering over her keys. "She might have been… Especially because we both became very sick after." Haven thought back to her fever, her tremor, her diminished presence of mind.

Touching her pruny fingers together, Fia moved her gaze back to Karma, staring intently back at her. "Ah, but I'm better now! A little… sort of… I mean, I didn't even realize how much time we'd spent here already!" His expression did not change. "I'm getting more comfortable, I think."

"You think?" he inquired.

"Y-Yeah! I mean, yes." Fia pouted. "Really, I am! I am! D-Don't you dare think that I'm not!"

Karma smiled. "I never doubted it."

Peridot eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really… All that air in your head would keep you afloat anyway, don't you think? I wasn't worried," he replied nonchalantly with a smirk.

"I suppose - HEY!"

Nagisa's cerulean eyes reflected a volley of sapphire spheres somersaulting through the saturated sky as Fia launched a wave of water at her red-haired companion. A smile played onto Nagisa's lips as he saw Karma fall backwards, black skull-laden swim trunks and kicking legs floundering high above his vermillion head. Karma jumped up quickly with a crooked smile and slapped the water, sending a storm back at Fia.

"Oh, they're up to their old shenanigans," Haven sighed.

Smiling cheerfully, Nagisa nudged Haven lightly. "But it looks like she's finally enjoying herself."

"Yeah, I'm glad…" Haven answered hesitantly.

"Well, what are you working on?" the bluenette inquired as he peered over her shoulder.

"Nothing." Haven shut her computer and placed it securely in her backpack. She slung the black strap over her shoulders quickly and got up. "I'm… Going for a walk."

"Huh? Oh… Want me to come with?"

"No, I'll be fine. Thanks though. I'll see you later."

* * *

The group walked into a Chinese restaurant and Classified walked up to the hostess. "Hi, is there a reservation for Mr. Xing this evening?"

"Yes. Please follow me." The hostess led them to a private room at the back of the restaurant. Outside, leaning against the wall was Noriko, looking exhausted.

"Where've you been all day?" Classified asked as he approarched her. The others went into the room.

"I lost my itinerary earlier. I was looking for it," she replied hotly.

"Did you find it?" Classified asked, curious.

"No, I did not."

"Well, you're here now. Enjoy the evening. I'm sure it'll turn up later." Classified assured her as they slid open the door and walked in.

"Koopa Kid!" Classified grinned as he approached the large man.

"No-Name!" Koopa Kid bro-hugged the smaller man.

"He's built like a lineman…" Fia mumbled to herself.

"How did we miss him in the last mission?" Karma asked.

"You might recognize him as one of the guards that night," Rosalina said as she walked by. "And he's not that large. You should have seen some of the men I had to sedate in Kenya. They were truly goliaths." She spotted a familiar face and called, "Monroe, darling!"

"Rosalina, it's been ages!" The two exchanged greeting kisses.

"I was on that recent mission though."

"That can hardly be considered meeting. We didn't even get the chance to talk."

"There was also the conference in Kyoto last year, we talked then. I must say again, your lecture on deep cover was riveting."

"Oh thank you, I'm flattered."

"You must tell me about that one incident you mentioned though. The one you said involved three guys, a small armory, and a retro gym outfit," Rosalina insisted. Irina sweat dropped.

"That one is still classified," Karasuma stepped in.

"It's a pity I can't tell you about it. I met this guy during that mission."

"A pity indeed. You always did get the missions with the best perks. Then again, I always felt that Lovro prefered you to me. Maybe he just offers you the better jobs."

"Now, now. You joined the government as soon as you finished training with him. It's not like you needed him to get your work."

"Jeez, the pomp and circumstance you two are emitting is suffocating," Princess Peach complained as she passed the two women. They responded by turning towards her, eyes full of fire. "There's the Rosalina I know." Princess Peach smirked and stuck out her tongue as she ignored the jabbering from women on either side of her.

"They're two of a kind," Nagisa sweat dropped as he watched the women attempted to throttle the girl.

"Lady Luck, we haven't seen each other much recently," Mario called.

"If I recall correctly, last time we spent more that twenty four hours together, our getaway car caught fire and we both nearly got thrown out of the CIA."

"Are you still holding that against me?"

"Mario, you were in charge of the car."

"It was just training. Besides we weren't even agents yet."

" _You_ weren't an agent yet, which probably makes it worse."

"My papi says Italians are individualistic drivers," Fia chimed in.

"Italians are individualistic drivers," Mario explained.

"Then why did you volunteer to take care of the car?"

The door slid open and a very large man in military fatigues lumbered in followed by three others in suits.

"Oi, Beta, stand guard."

"Make Omega do it!

"I would, except she's incompetent. Why are you questioning my orders? I could report you for insubordination."

"Actually, sir," the girl began.

"I didn't give you permission to speak, Omega."

"Oh, yes, sir, sorry, sir."

"Still didn't have permission." He sat down in a empty chair, a subordinate on either side. The other twelve agents filled in the rest of the seats at the large round table.

Suddenly, a female waitress walked in and handed everyone menus.

"Good evening. I'm Amy. I will be your waitress tonight. Can I get you all started on some drinks?" she smiled at the group.

"We've already pre-ordered food. You should know that. With how much we're paying you, couldn't you at least pretend to be competent?" Red Baron scowled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't realize that was your order," the girl apologized. "I'll get that right out for you." She came back momentarily with several other servers and placed the platters of food on the table. "I'm sorry to have bothered you. If you need anything please feel free to ask," the girl said as she left the room, sliding the door shut behind her.

"Now that the food's here, we can start the preliminary briefing," Red Baron began as everyone put food on their plates, "We are in the process of annihilating a syndicate that's primary focus is illegal dealings. It is mainly run by two families, one of which we have already brought down. We still need to halt all this organization's current transactions in this country. Each team will be given a few cases to close down. Alpha, give them the folders."

"Yes, sir." The man on his right got up and pulled a stack of manilla folders from his briefcase before going around the table and handing them to some of the members. The folders were opened and scanned through.

"How come only some of us got folders?"

"Because I don't trust kids," Red Baron grunted. Sure enough the only ones with folders were Jelavic, Karasuma, Koopa Kid, Rosalina, and Classified.

The older agents looked at the papers in the folders, mumbling and uttering small comments here and there.

"I presume you'll all leave tonight," Red Baron said as he got up.

"There's so much food, aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I'd rather not spend any more time with you idiots than necessary. Me and my men already packed their food to go," Red Baron sneered. Alpha and Omega quickly followed him, closing the doors behind them.

"Well, he's as pleasant as ever," Classified commented. "Also, we're not leaving tonight. His team is known for efficiency, but I bet you guys would appreciate sleep before we head out." The entire room murmured in agreement. "So, do you want to know what these folders say? I mean the information is kind of important." The young adults in the room gave the man a curious glance.

"Are you actually going to share the information or are you just joking with us?" Princess Peach snapped.

"Well, Red Baron just left for the Northwest," Classified replied. "Your team is supposed to investigate the Southwest for any clues to what this organization is up to. And my team is investigating the Southeast."

Princess Peach glanced at Rosalina and Koopa Kid with a guarded look, who were nodding in agreement.

"Peach, I think it would be better if you went with the other team for this project," Koopa Kid suggested.

Princess Peach's expression soured. "But I know the area the best out of all of you!" she protested. "I know the geography, the customs! I don't trust them and they probably don't trust me! I know this team, and I want to be with people I know will watch my back."

"You aren't even giving this other team a chance," Rosalina answered with crossed arms.

"Even if I did, it took me years to come to trust all of you," Princess Peach retorted.

"Then trust us when we say we think this is better for your wellbeing. Besides, I trust Monroe to watch your back." Rosalina flipped her violet hair and her gold eyes met sapphire ones.

"My wellbeing…" Princess Peach paused. "If you let me go with you guys, I promise not to let my emotions get in the way."

"Do you need a legal reason, Peach?" Koopa Kid asked reluctantly. Princess Peach gave him a quiet but defiant glare. "You have too many former connections to this organization. We can't risk having you recognized and our cover blown. It's too great of a risk to, not only this team, but also this mission if I allow you to come with us."

"Please understand, Peach," Mario pleaded.

Princess Peach, sighing in resignation, nodded and turned back to her plate.

"How do you use these?" Noriko asked as she held a chopstick in each hand. Her plate was forlornly bare.

"You could just use a fork. I'm sure they have some here," Nagisa said with a smile.

"But everyone else is using them. How do you guys all know how to?" Noriko complained.

"We're from Japan," Nagisa, Karma, Jelavic, and Karasuma answered.

"Do you even need to ask?" Haven asked flatly.

Fia smiled and pointed at her roommates. "No choice."

Classified laughed. "But of course that's classified."

"There's a Chinese restaurant near headquarters. Last person to learn had to set up ALL of the consoles 'till they were deemed proficient," Koopa Kid said as Princess Peach sighed begrudgingly.

"Of course, that wasn't a problem for us," Rosalina smiled. "We learned during our time in Taiwan."

"I had to set up game nights for two months, and I still don't see why skinning a pear with them was on the proficiency test!" Mario exclaimed.

"So, let's address the elephant in the room. No-Name, what's going on with you and your missus?" Koopa Kid raised an eyebrow. "I saw her at HQ the other day and she refused to tell me anything. Something about how everything with you is classified."

"Well, at least now I know why she dumped me," Classified shrugged and popped a shrimp into his mouth.

"It's not like she couldn't have expected this though. She knows what type of work we do," Princess Peach grumbled as she picked up another mouthful of noodles.

"Well, hey, now he's free for grabs. What do you think, Noriko?" Rosalina winked.

"No way am I dating this joker!" Noriko sputtered. "Besides, he's my boss."

"So what?"

"Rosalina, it'd be like if you had a relationship with Koopa Kid!"

"It's not like we haven't," the woman shrugged.

"If I recall, you insisted ours stay completely physical," Koopa Kid countered.

Princess Peach and Mario looked at the two in amazement.

"How… how did we not know about this?!" they asked incredulously in tandem.

"Oh, this was long before either of you were around."

"We had just joined the company ourselves."

After some hearty laughs and a heavy dinner, the group lowered their chopsticks, and a fork, together.

"Hey, can us leaders talk privately for a while?" Koopa Kid requested. The other agents exchanged looks and nodded, excusing themselves and moving to stand outside the doors by the indoor Koi pond "The younger agents, I want to get them out," Koopa Kid declared. His statement was followed by shocked silence.

Karasuma's expression became serious. "What do you mean by out?"

"After this mission, I want to give them all civilian status. I mean… I want to get them out before they can't leave. They're all so young and have so much potential. I want to get them out before anything too traumatic happens to them so they can live normal lives if they want. Rosalina and I have talked this over extensively," the burly man explained.

"I get the idea, and I'm not opposed, but not all of the agents can get out. The government pretty much owns Noriko," Classified pointed out, "And Karma, Nagisa and Haven are employed by the Japanese government, so that's not something we can do either. Unless you can do something about it, Karasuma?"

"Personally, Ir- Monroe- and I let the kids make their own choices as to whether or not they continue being agents." Karasuma said. "It's a matter of respecting their decisions." He rubbed the back of his head. "I do understand your reasoning though."

"I get that, but Peach hasn't exactly had the chance to experience a normal life. She'll stay 'cause it's the best thing she's known."

Classified smiled. "We'll see what we can do. They seem reluctant to change."

"Shouldn't the other second-in-commands and I be in here too?" Noriko asked as she walked into the room.

"Nah, we're done here~" Classified replied with bemusement as he walked past her. "Hey, maybe if you throw a coin into the pond, your wish will come true and you can finally guess my name correctly~." Grinning, the green-haired man strolled out, followed closely by Karasuma.

"Noriko, have a moment?" Koopa Kid called. "Have you been looking for your schedule?"

The ginger turned to look at the captain. "Yes, how did you know?"

"It was in Classified's pocket, but before you get angry," he stopped the shocked woman and continued, "I think you should consider the reason why he took it."

"I have no idea why that fool keeps messing with me," Noriko fumed.

"I know we don't work together very often, but you're usually clinging a little too fiercely to your schedule. The thing is, Noriko, not everything plays out by the book and I think Classified wants you to understand that. Agents need a certain degree of flexibility, which, frankly, you don't have at the moment."

"Hey, Koopa Kid, we're going to leave you behind. Rosalina said so!" Mario shouted. "Your boss-man says the same to you, Lady Luck!"

* * *

Left Brain: Never listening to Sandstorm with you again!

Right Brain: Awwwww! But WHHHHHYYYYYYYY? (OAO) (flails)

Left Brain: Because we were supposed to be writing, NOT dancing!

Right Brain: Fine! I'll just have my fingers dance while I dance~~ (- 3 -) Wait for it… (epic head bobbing)

Left Brain: And it'll be stuck in my head for the next ten hours… I thought the first ten were enough…

Fia: Waahhh, I got sand in uncomfortable places!

Karma: At least you don't have it up your nose (looks at her, unamused)

Fia: Bleh! You started it (sticks tongue out)

Haven: I hate sunburn… (applying ample amounts of aloe vera cream)

Nagisa: (sweat drops) Would you like some help with that?

Haven: (turns even redder)

Jelavic: Fia, why didn't you wear that bikini I picked out for you?! You would have dropped jaws!

Fia: Yeah… and all my dignity…

Karasuma: Now, Irina, we don't need to draw the extra attention.

Jelavic: (flatly) Ha, funny coming from you, lady-killer.

Karasuma: I don't know what you mean.

Narrator: Ok… Well then, next time we're heading south! Karma, pull out that accent of yours.

Karma: (dead-pan) How did you find out about that? On second thought… Hey, pardner, why don't ya stop yer yammerin' and get started on that next chapter? What'cha waitin' fer? All our readers are waitin' on ya.

Right Brain: (sweat drops) (T~~T) We're sorry! Left Brain's and my schedules are constantly changing so we haven't had much time to write!

Left Brain: If it's any condolence, we plan on a one-year anniversary short.

Narrator: Look forward to it~


	41. Chapter 41: First Anniversary Time

Nagisa: Hey, everyone! Thanks so much for supporting us for an entire year now!

Karma: I honestly don't know why you stick around but… (rubs back of head) Thanks (small smile)

Fia: Really?! You aren't tired of us yet? I'm so glad to hear that! We have so much more in store!

Haven: Yeah, until they start putting us through hell. Left Brain keeps saying the worst is yet to come.

Right Brain: SHHH! That's a secret. ( O ~ O")

Left Brain: These next few updates will probably be the last few happy ones for a while. Also, sorry that the special is late… I've been computerless for at least twelve hours a day the past week and sadly, that trend will continue for about a month...

Narrator: Despite that, we'll try to update the best we can and try to keep a few bits of comedy in for the sake of your sanity.

All: We hope you enjoy this anniversary short and continue to support us!

* * *

Haven woke to the soft rays of early morning light seeping into the humble abode. Careful not to wake the bluenette asleep beside her, she got up and changed quickly into a plain cotton kimono before placing a kettle of hot water on the newly-stoked fire to and prepare a simple breakfast of rice. A few moments later, she looked up to see Nagisa leaning against the doorframe, watching her with a small smile on his lips. She smiled back as he came to sit next to her.

"Today will be busy," he said softly as Haven handed him a bowl of rice. "Saito-san has an ailment that I must attend to, I need to gather herbs for Arai-san's stomach ache medicine, and Taro-kun is supposed to come here so I can rewrap his bandages." Nagisa explained as he ate.

"We should also pick the other herbs before the weather gets too cold," Haven added.

The bluenette pulled his hair back into a small ponytail and sent his wife a small smile. "I got it." Carefully stepping out into the brisk morning fog, Nagisa found his way around the corner and knelt down in front of a bed of greens. He hummed as he began pulling roots free from their sodden bed and trimming the leaves off of others when a group of small children ran up.

"Good morning, Shiota-san!" they greeted him.

"Good morning, little ones. What brings you here so early?"

"Is the white haired yo-lady here?" one of the older ones in the group asked.

"Yes, do you want to speak with her?"

"We're good!" the group replied as they ran off. Nagisa went back to his work, slightly puzzled. A few moments later, he looked at the herbs he had gathered. Did he even know how to make medicines from these?

Somewhere a little distance away, traversing the winding mountain paths bathed in cool condensation, an armor-clad samurai sat regally upon a steadfast stallion. Equipping his helmet with a sigh, the Japanese warrior surveyed the distance he had come and urged his horse to move faster to the next village in order to restock his provisions. Wait… Since when did he have a horse? Let alone could ride one?

Peridot eyes watched the silhouette of a feminine figure pulling a pristine miko attire around her shoulders. Cascading auburn hair was tied back and bound in a white ribbon and soft hands smoothed down the white and red fabric. Quietly, the woman set to cleaning and preparing an offering in the peaceful solitude of her shrine when there was a neigh from outside. She shuffled over to the shōji doors and opened them to a dismounting samurai.

"Good morning, sir," she greeted. "What brings you to my humble shrine?"

"I appear to be lost, good priestess," the man answered as he tethered his horse to a nearby tree, "Could you perhaps tell me where I am?" Golden eyes moved to meet emerald ones.

"I… We are at a shrine, yes, on a mountain… in a forest… by a village, yeah, a village! About…" She looked down the path. "There?" she concluded with a puzzlement.

A red eyebrow quirked as the warrior responded to the woman's curious behavior. "You do not seem sure. Are you feeling ill?"

"Um… Yes, I am fine! I feel fine, absolutely, you cannot possibly think I am not well. What makes you think I am unwell?" the priestess asked in a fluster. Her cheeks went aflame.

"With all due respect, you do remind me of an old friend of mine…"

"I-I'm sure you must be mistaken, sir!" she protested.

The samurai removed his face-guarding helmet and shook vermillion hair free. "Are you sure?" he inquired. "She stands at about your height, has a similar shade of eyes, and the same stupidly-cute, confused expression."

"W-What did you just say? I'm not confused, you're confused! W-Who even asked you a-anyway, cherry pop?"

"I thought it was you, Fia," Karma chuckled with a smile. He, heavy armor clanking, approached her, and placed a gentle hand on her head. "Do you know what we're doing here? Or, better yet, where Haven and Nagisa are?"

Fia shook her head under his palm when a collection of young children came clamoring up the mountain path leading to the valley village. "Priestess, priestess!" they called between pants. "There's a yokai in town! You need to exorcise it! Come with us, we know exactly where it is."

The samurai and priestess exchanged glances then nodded reluctantly before following the children down the mountain's steep face, a horse, sword, and staff in hand. The small party stopped outside the village.

"It's in there," one of the children hissed as they pointed to a house with a small herb garden. Momentarily, a bluenette walked out, followed by a white-haired girl. "THERE IT IS!" the children yelled, drawing the attention of couple. "IT'S THE YOKAI!" the children hid behind the samurai, who subsequently sweat-dropped.

"Good eye," he complimented. "You're not exactly wrong," Karma mumbled, only to be glared at by his accompanying priestess.

"Children, she's not a yokai," Fia tried to explain, but faltered for an explanation that would make sense to the young children.

"But you have to, before she terrorizes the village!" they whined. "It's a Yuki-onna!"

"A what?"

"A Yuki-onna! It has white hair, and white skin, and black eyes! It looks like a demon! Not to mention, it seduced our medic! You've gotta exorcise it!"

"Um… right." Fia looked awkwardly between the pleading eyes of the children and Haven, who was staring them down coolly. What was she to do?

"AHHHHH! It's coming!" one of the children screeched as Haven and Nagisa approached. Suddenly, it began to snow. "We've made it angry! We're all gonna die!" the children wailed.

The redhead glanced at Fia with a "now we have to do _something_ " look and she sighed in response. Wearing a grim expression, the priestess walked up to the accused Yuki-onna and swiftly attached a strip of lettered white paper on her forehead.

"Begone, evil demon!" Determinedly, she waved her hand in front of Haven's face. "I, the priestess, demand you leave this village and peace be restored!"

"What?" Haven gave her friend an unamused look. "That only works if I'm a yokai, which I'm not."

Fia dead-panned. "Just pretend!" she hissed under her breath and gestured towards the anxiously-waiting children. "Want them to stone you instead?" she offered flatly.

"Ahhh," Haven cried in monotone as she slowly stumbled backwards and slunk, with the most bored expression, to the ground. "I have been defeated."

The auburn-haired girl turned a twitching smile back towards the children. "There, you see? The… demon has been vanquished and you can return home now without worry. The talisman I used will transform this demon into an honorable woman, so please treat her with care from now on."

"Okay, Priestess! Thank you, Priestess!" the children smiled as they ran off.

"Can I get up now?" the lump on the ground called.

"We should probably all talk," Nagisa said as he helped Haven to her feet. "Is there somewhere we can go?"

"Well, your house is right there," Karma pointed out.

"I'm kind of on the run from a few patients… I wish I could help them but I really don't know how to," Nagisa admitted as he turned some of his collected herbs over in his hands.

"What are we doing in Feudal Japan anyway?" Haven mumbled.

"I couldn't really say," Karma said as he leaned against the wall. "It was really disorienting to wake up here. I didn't realize anything was wrong until Terasaka and I had already packed up camp and were on the move."

"You named your horse?" Haven quirked an eyebrow.

"Why Terasaka?" Nagisa asked in dismay.

The redhead smirked crookedly. "Why not? He's a muscular brute with no brain that I can take advantage of. I mean, he rode himself into a tree-twice. Mind you, the same tree."

Fia shook her head. "That's still mean," she huffed. "But I agree. It was disorienting for me too; when I woke up, I was able to go about doing things as if I had been here my entire life, but I don't think I'm cut out to be a priestess…"

"C'mon, you weren't that bad," Karma replied.

"Yeah, sure. She exorcised a human…" Haven grumbled.

The bluenette glanced curiously at Fia. "What would make you say that, Fia?"

The girl hid a red face in her red hakama with a sigh. "Well… I can't say whether or not my conception was sacred or… sacrilegious." Three pairs of eyebrows rose in response to her answer. " _Dio,_ I was… um… conceived in a church," she coughed out under her breath. "During a sermon…" A pause. "By the pope." (A.N. Right Brain is technically from a Catholic family - no offense was intended.)

"WHAT!?" Nagisa and Haven exclaimed simultaneously while their third companion was rolling on the floor, laughing so loud as to startle Terasaka outside.

"Yeah, I don't know if being a priestess is right for me… Besides, I can't even write talismans," she shrugged as she lifted her head with an awkward smile.

"Then what did you write on this?" Haven pointed to the slip of paper still stuck to her forehead.

"U-Uh…" Fia pulled the strip quickly from her friend's face and hid it behind her back. "Nothing, it was Italian anyway," she dismissed the question with a nervous laugh.

Swiftly, the samurai snatched the slip from Fia's hands and smoothed the wrinkled sheet. " _Candida?"_ he read from the cursive aloud.

She smiled at Haven, explaining slowly. "It means candid, perhaps blunt, but also could be taken to mean innocent or pure white. I always believe in you; you're my guardian 'Angel.'"

* * *

"Welcome to this new year's edition of Housemate Havoc! We're your hosts, Peter and Brian!" a green-haired man clad in a newsboy cap called.

"On today's show," a brunette with cool wisteria-colored eyes continued, "we have some very… interesting guests, including your beloved assassination housemates and the members of Mario Party."

"Thanks for that introduction, Bri. On today's show, we have a lot planned but why don't we start by getting to know our guests with some good old-fashioned trivia!"

"Deplorable."

"What?"

"You're exaggerating and making a fool out of yourself."

"I'm just trying to make it fun!" Peter objected before quietly adding, "Mood killer."

"I heard that."

"Anyway~ Let's start with a few warm up questions to get our group started. Something easy, raise your hand if you're a southpaw!"

"Southpaw? What does that mean?" Noriko asked.

"Just raise your hand," Karma said.

Both Noriko and Brian raised their left hands.

"Wow! We're slightly above the average here! Did you know that about ten percent of the population is left handed?"

"What if you're ambi-ambidex- can use both?" Mario asked, raising both of his hands.

"That's amazing! Only one percent of the population is ambidextrous!" Peter chimed.

"Alright, how many of you have parents that copulate frequently?" Brian inquired flatly.

Peter sweat-dropped. "He means to say how many of our lovely guests have siblings?"

Fia and Princess Peach reluctantly raised their hands, followed by Haven and Rosalina.

"I haven't seen Carly for years though," Princess Peach grumbled.

Peter smiled wryly. "I envy you guys a little bit. I'm an only child, and, Fia, your family always seems so lively! As you know, my house was pretty empty except for housekeepers. Haha, the head chef would always let me sample and would get scolded by the maids for 'spoiling my appetite.'"

The violet-eyed man clicked his tongue, bringing attention back to himself, and spoke again. "It appears we have a very… diverse group of people here in terms of family size, class, and ethnicity. All of you are, at the very least, bilingual. Besides English, each of your teammates are fluent in what languages?" Brian inquired.

"Karma and Nagisa understand Japanese," Fia offered first.

"Peach knows Japanese too!" Mario chimed in.

"Fia and Mario know Italian," Peach returned flatly.

"Haven knows Chinese," Nagisa answered with a smile.

"Well, Rosalina and Koopa Kid have worked in Taiwan, so I would assume they know Chinese as well," Noriko reasoned.

"That's all I actually know," Koopa Kid admitted sheepishly.

"Rosalina studied with Monroe under Lovro, so she probably knows Serbian as well," Nagisa noted. "Perhaps all ten of the languages Monroe knows too."

"She's said she's worked in Kenya once, so maybe Swahili…" Fia added.

"Nope, I'm not fluent in that. We just did a job there. I do know Serbian, but I worked in different countries than Monroe, so I'd say we don't speak the same languages. I don't know as many either. In total, I'm fluent in four languages, including Arabic," Rosalina explained. "As for Noriko, you're fluent in Spanish, correct?"

"Indeed," Noriko confirmed.

Brian responded nonchalantly, "Je parle français. But on the topic of speaking, there are a select few of you who have not yet contributed much to this conversation. A trivia question about Karma. What are his favorite spices?"

"Mustard and Wasabi!" Haven exclaimed.

"Sorry, we were looking for spices he cooks with," Peter explained with a sweat bead forming on his cheek.

"Exactly!"

Karma quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, like anyone would know the answer to that ques-"

"Saffron?" Fia answered with a tilt of her head. "He also likes turmeric and cumin; I can always find the scent just lingering on his clothes," she giggled. "I mean, of course his favorite cooking is his own, but I noticed he likes getting these drinks from… the simmered…"

"The simmered au lait series," The redhead finished with wide golden eyes, struck with surprise, focused on the girl.

"Yeah, that's it~! Hehe~."

"Just what I would expect from my rising star," Brian mused. "Now, what food, besides toast, can Haven successfully cook?"

"Haven can cook?" Princess Peach asked the housemates, who wore confused expressions.

"I've tried to cook it for you guys before, but I didn't get to finish because someone stopped me."

Karma rubbed the back of his head. "You can't really blame us. Your cooking skills are usually a bit… Disastrous."

"So, any guesses?"

Fia covered her face with her hands. "It's not pasta. That. Was. Not. Pasta! Hm… Maybe breakfast?"

Karma scoffed. "Remember the first day of school?"

"Maybe it's mac and cheese? She tried to cook that over Thanksgiving, but we didn't let her," Nagisa thought aloud.

"Ding, ding, ding! That's correct. Haven can successfully cook mac and cheese!" Peter clapped.

"How can she make mac and cheese when her pasta isn't even close to edible?" Karma asked.

Fia turned to look at her senior with dismay. "Peter, it was like plastic!" she hissed under her breath.

Haven just shrugged. "Earnest and I made it all the time as kids."

Peter laughed dryly. "Well, moving on. Brian?"

"Does anyone know Mario's favorite video game?"

Koopa Kid smiled confidently and said, "Kirby: Super Star Ultra, to be exact."

"How… how did you know about that?" Mario asked in awe.

"You don't know how many times I've heard the soundtrack for that now," Koopa Kid answered as he took to awkwardly humming the tune off-beat. "Besides, you pass time with it on trips. I see the reflection of the screen in the car window."

"You didn't know?" Peach asked.

Brian interrupted with, "What is Princess Peach's weapon of choice?"

Rosalina thought for a moment before answering, "Oh! I know! It's her gun, she's always carrying it and can use it quite effectively."

'But Peach specializes in close combat," Koopa Kid pointed out. "I'd say it's her own fists."

"She usually wears brass knuckles though. I'd say those are her favorite. She's almost always carrying them and they hurt more," Mario reasoned.

"Eh-eh! All wrong. Princess Peach, what is your weapon of choice?" Peter asked the sour-looking woman.

"Knives, throwing knives to be exact. It was a family thing," the girl shrugged.

Brian peered over his companions. "With that, we conclude the trivia scheduled for tonight's show."

"Brian and I will be back though! In the meantime," Peter cheered, "let's all welcome two lovely, lovely ladies to host their very own dating game~!"

Oceanic eyes gleamed and golden-shore eyes sparkled as Irina and Rosalina brought microphones to their rosy lips. "Welcome~!" they chimed as the majority of both teams moved to sit in the audience.

"I'm Rosalina, one of your ravishing hosts for tonight~."

"I'm Monroe, the other mesmerizing host for tonight~."

As the women spoke, the couches were moved offstage and replaced by four chairs, one sectioned off from the others by a curtain. Brian and Peter walked onstage and took chairs 3 and 1 respectively.

Peter cocked his head in Karma's direction; the redhead still hadn't moved from his seat. "You aren't joining us, contestant number 2?"

"No. I never agreed to participate in this stupid game."

Brian mused. "Very well. Thank you for leaving Fia to us. Regardless of which one of us she selects, I am positive we can show her a wonderful time on our first... What do you people call it? Date?"

"Hn." Narrowing gold eyes, Karma sighed and begrudgingly moved to take seat 2 as Fia, blindfolded and with earplugs in, was shuffled across the stage and into the partitioned seat by Mario.

" _Buona fortuna~,"_ Mario called as he removed the sensory-depriving items and ran off.

"Today's featured guest," Monroe announced, "is a college junior named Fiammetta Timo. She loves both biochemistry and art, her hobbies being painting, singing, cooking, and hiding dangerous chemical concoctions from campus security-"

"THAT ISN'T A HOBBY," the Italian girl protested.

"She's Italian-born, five-foot seven, and has double Ds that will take you to heaven~," Rosalina laughed.

Fia's face flushed and she hissed, "Not everyone needs to know that!"

Irina wagged her finger. "Ah-ah-ahh. You can't make a face like that when you meet our contestants!"

"Our what?"

"Contestants! Monroe and I have elected you to be our lucky bachelorette!"

"What, why?!"

"C'mon, Fia. Work with me here," Irina insisted, "You're the only single girl here, besides Rosalina, that wouldn't try to kill us for this! Besides, when was the last time you went on a date? That's right! One itty bitty date wouldn't hurt, right~?" Irina asked in her "innocent," pleading way. Seeing Fia sigh and relent, Irina cheered "HELL YEAH!" and moved to hand each of the boys a voice-modifying microphone.

Rosalina gestured widely to the audience. "Contestant number one is a rich heir, a duke in training to be exact, from the east coast! He loves dogs and was especially fond of his Bernese Mountain Dog, Berny!"

Peter flinched. "Did you have to mention that…? Wait… Why am I speaking like a barbershop quartet baritone?"

"Contestant number two," Irina continued, "is very strong and quite the 'team leader.' He's got a brilliant mind, an independent spirit, a handsome face, and loves to have a good 'laugh' with his friends."

"A 'team leader'?" Karma questioned skeptically. "A 'good laugh'? You're both manipulating the truth here. But, more importantly, why the hell does my voice sound like I swallowed Alvin and the friggin' chipmunks!" He immediately bore a sour expression.

"Both of you shush!" Rosalina sent them both dirty looks.

"Contestant number three is a young gentleman from a small town in the southwest whose intellect and passion for his work proceeds him. As a young college student, he is seen as a prodigy of his department!"

Brian smirked, he liked the sound of 'prodigy,' which he was, of course, because what else could he be?

The elegant ebony woman smiled at Fia. "Well, now that you've met our bachelors, go ahead and ask them a question each!"

"Um… okay… Contestant number 1, you're good with animals? Even… children who behave like animals?" Fia grimaced, remembering suddenly the antics of her wild younger siblings.

"Huh? Yeah, I love animals, dogs are my absolute favorite! Kids? Well, sure, I like them, but I gotta say that I'm kind of awkward because I grew up an only child. Your siblings though- I mean the type of siblings you mentioned, is one I'm sure I could grow to adore," Peter smiled.

"Thank you, contestant number 1!" Rosalina chimed.

Fia bit her lip and hesitantly asked, "Contestant number 2, what do you look for in a girl?"

The redhead paused to think. "Well," he froze, "DAMN THIS SQUIRREL SQUEAK. Um, I like a girl who's honest, sweet, fun to tease but also easy to be around. She's understanding but goofy, but I like that about her. One day, I want to-"

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?" Brian answered, his voice made robotic by the microphone. "She only asked you one question, sir," the director explained coolly.

"Are other contestants allowed to interrupt?" the red-tailed chipmunk responded scornfully.

"But it isn't really fair to the rest of us," the first contestant replied. "You were planning to romance her with an ideal date and sweep her off her feet? You are cunning, Ka-contestant number 2."

"Lay off, man. I just got carried away…" Karma muttered.

"You got carried away or you were scheming to carry her away?" Brian replied coolly.

"Well, would you have the physical strength to do that?" Peter asked.

"I would blow her away with my massive intellect!"

"You mean ego?" the second contestant mumbled.

"As if you two are humble. Hm, Mr. Duke?" the brunette returned.

"Hey, you," Karma called to Peter, "If we fight, I get to punch that guy in his pompous face first."

Verdant hair was blown out of Peter's face. "I'm not really against that."

"I heard that!"

Irina shrieked. "CUT IT OUT, YOU BRATS!"

"I don't know, I kind of want to see them duke it out~," Rosalina said with a coy smile.

Fia sweat-dropped and quickly scrambled for a way to recover the situation. "U-Um, c-contestant number 3, what's your major?"

"I am a theater major. Was it not obvious? If you're going to act the part of a single woman looking for love, you could at least pretend to be more invested in us, Fia. You're asking the most basic of questions! Where is the spark, the surprise that is supposed to enrapture our audience?"

"... Brian?"

"You're a little slow on the uptake, Timo. I am surprised you can memorize your scripts half as well as you do."

"Meaning to say that I exceeded your expectations…?"

"Exceedingly."

"Wait…" Fia brushed aside the curtain quickly. "BRIAN, WHY ARE YOU IN A DATING GAME WITH ME?!"

"Apparently, I am a viable candidate to be your significant other. Did you not think so?"

"Um… I think what's more shocking is that you agreed to go on a date with ME," Fia responded worriedly. There was no answer from the dictator of a director.

Earthy brown eyes flicked between Brian and Fia, and Peter locked his hands behind his head. "So… Does this mean the game is over?"

"Peter, you're here too?"

"No, no. Fia is free to do whatever and whomever she pleases~," Rosalina answered.

Fia's cheeks darkened. "You phrased it like that on purpose…"

"At least I can take off that stupid mic now," Karma sighed, glad to be free of the vexatious voice.

"Karma…"

Irina raised her hands in surrender. "Do what you want. Choose that Brian kid or pick from the other two, I don't care! Just pick a date so I can go home already. This was bound to be botched from the start."

"Hmmm…. So she ended up choosing Fiamma… or should the ship name be Mafia? Both are rather fitting. I thought she might choose Petametta… that would be such a sweet ship. Bria would have been interesting as well," Narrator commented.

"W-When did you get here?!" Fia exclaimed in a flustered panic. "A-And what if I d-did?"

"I was really hoping she would choose me," Peter admitted.

"Those last two ship names sounded like food," Princess Peach mused. "When can we get out of here? I'm getting hungry."

"I've been here the whole time… I just decided to write myself in right now," Narrator explained.

"What's Nagisa x Haven's ship name?" Noriko asked disdainfully.

"Well… it started out as Naven, but I didn't like the sound of that. Hagisa didn't sound right either. In the end, I chose Shiolee. But I think Kaven could have been a cute ship if Shiolee hadn't worked out."

"Who's the Ka from? Kavi or Karma?"

"I was thinking of Kavi, but either works," Narrator shrugged.

"Me with her? I don't think so."

"Him with me? Absolutely not."

"If you'd forgotten, she hates me," Karma said bluntly.

"As if you don't hate me," Haven scoffed.

Karma quirked a red eyebrow. "I really don't."

"The characters doth protest too much," Brian interrupted the bickering.

"Think about it, Karma and Haven would be such a power couple if they could get along that is…" Narrator explained.

"That would leave Fia and Nagisa together. What would their ship name be?"

"We'd call you the Pigtail Pair!" Mario chimed.

Nagisa and Fia exchanged glances and blushed before looking away.

"Ah, look at how cute they are," Princess Peach said in a saccharine voice.

Haven grabbed Nagisa's sleeve and Karma muttered, "I'm the one with the date here…"

"But will Narrator bother actually putting us together?" Fia asked bashfully.

"Then again, Karmagisa is all over the internet…" Narrator mused.

"What's that?" Haven asked.

"Ah, shit…" Karma swore as he saw an evil glint cross Rosalina's face.

"Well," the woman drawled. "Karmagisa is the name of the romantic relationship where Karma is top and Nagisa is bottom. It's all over the internet. There's a lot of fanart and fanfiction for it, some of it even has them BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP-ing."

Almost everyone's face was bright red, the exceptions being Rosalina, Irina, and Karasuma, who just sighed.

Koopa Kid held his hands up. "C'mon, we're trying to stay family-friendly-ish here!"

"But if Karma and I were paired off…" the bluenette began slowly. "That would leave the girls together," Nagisa pointed out.

"Havia? Fiaven? Timolee?" Karasuma attempted. Fia looked at him in mild horror while Haven just stared at the man and scooted closer to Nagisa.

"Timolee could mean either Haven or Earnest, and I don't know which I'd like better. They both have their pros and cons~." Fia answered cheerfully, much to her companions' shock.

"You're actually considering it?" Noriko asked. "You already know my opinion about coworkers dating."

"Please, don't date either of us." Haven grimaced at the thought.

Irina put a finger to her lip in thought. "Hm… What could their ship name be? Earnia?"

"They'll give us all hernias…" someone muttered.

"Was that a pun?" Noriko snapped.

"That was bad, even by my standards," Fia groaned. "I don't even want to think about that being possible either."

"Then maybe Fearnest?" Brian proposed.

"That sounds kinda like forest and we both like nature and it's kinda pretty." Fia noted. "Oh! OH! Or like a furnace! My name is flickering flame after all," she laughed to herself.

"Hm," Rosalina mused as she glanced between male lead and director, "You two get along quite well. How about Prian?"

Brian scowled slightly. "I think I prefer Breter."

Green eyebrows cocked slightly. "Really?"

"I think you would both make great boyfriends!" Fia chimed. "Oh, wait, I-I don't mean together or anything but, like, if I didn't already love someone," she blushed, "I'd date either of you!"

"Wow…" Peter patted the head of his fumbling junior. "On the subject of relationships, what about crackships?"

"KOOPA KID X KARASUMA!"

Silence…

"NO WAY!" Irina screeched. Her husband just sighed in defeat.

"I don't think of him in that way at all!" Koopa Kid protested. "Besides, I like someone else anyways!" The man looked towards his long-time co-worker.

'I've already said no," Rosalina replied as she inspected her nails casually.

"I'm asking for backup!" Koopa Kid pleaded.

"Nah," Rosalina smiled, "This is kinda fun."

"Well, what about Rosalina and Monroe then?" Mario asked.

"HELL NO!" the two women exclaimed in tandem before turning to each other. "What do you mean by 'no'?!"

"I should think being with me is a dream!" Rosalina protested.

"I'm sorry, dear. You're just not my type," Irina flipped her hair.

"Well, excuse you," Rosalina huffed, "The feeling is mutual."

"I think Noriko and Kavi would make a good crack ship," Karma interrupted with a wicked grin.

"I've never even met the man," Noriko pointed out.

"He's a cool guy," Peter promised her. "He tells the best jokes!"

"That's kinda why it's a crack ship…" Nagisa explained to Noriko.

"What about Wally x Mario?" Fia offered timidly. "Oh, it's Wario!" she beamed.

"Isn't that my nemesis?" Mario asked. "Besides, I've never met him."

"I'll get him," Haven said as she pulled out her phone. "This is Wally."

"Wow, he's kinda cute," Mario smiled at the screen.

"If you want, I can take a female form," the AI offered.

"Whatever you're more comfortable with," Mario replied. There was a poof on the screen and Wally reappeared with a female avatar.

"It's-a us, Wario!" Mario joked.

"Well, looks like you two make a good couple," Princess Peach noted.

"Wait, No! I was joking! I'm not into AIs! … Or guys?" Mario panicked and turned towards his crush.

"Oh… I see how it is," the blue Ritsu said mournfully, solemnly placing a hand on her chest.

"Wait, No! I think you're great!" Mario turned back.

"Don't worry. I have a girlfriend anyways," Wally smiled as he reverted to his male avatar.

"You're flirting with me and you already have a girlfriend? How dare you," the Italian laughed.

"But, Fia," Brian called, "Although you did elect that delinquent, which of your own ship names do you prefer? Fiamma? Mafia? Petametta? Bria? Timolee? Pigtail Pair?"

"Can we not ship people?" Fia asked, her hands covering her scarlet face.

"This is . Shippers congregate here." Narrator explained.

Princess Peach gave the narrator a deadpan expression. "Correction, these creatures SPAWN here. This is their nest."

Karasuma cocked an eyebrow. "While that may be true, I'm not sure our audience will take kindly to being likened to…"

Noriko huffed, "Enough of this. Aren't we missing something? Where did my copy of the schedule go?"

"Well there was supposed to be a huge showdown between Karasuma and Koopa Kid," Peter admitted, "but we kind of got caught up with the shipping."

"I'd kinda like to see that," Karma said with a grin.

"I'm sure our Koopa Kid would win," Rosalina smirked.

"As if!" Irina scoffed. "My Karasuma is as strong as ten men!"

"Well, Karasuma? What do you say? Wanna give it a go?" Koopa Kid.

Karasuma pulled up his sleeves. "Sure, why not?"

"Want to bet on it? I say, your team's junk van for our BMW."

"Alright, if my team agrees to this."

Karma shrugged. "Anything is better than that trash heap."

"Personally, I don't think it's that bad," Haven shrugged, ignoring the people staring at her.

"Haven," Fia started carefully, "you spend all of your time on your laptop, toning the rest of us out. I don't really think you… get a say. We all already know you don't care one way or the other," she sighed.

"I normally do not condone gambling of any sort, however, in this case, I believe the larger team should have access to better resources as they have more people to be concerned about," Noriko rationalized.

Narrator laughed. "So Noriko has a petty side too."

The woman's cheeks took on an unusual shade of pink as she challenged the narrator with "What do you mean by that?"

"I believe they are about to 'duke it out.'" Brian informed the group.

Peter cleared his throat. "In one corner, we have the mass of muscles, greatest gaming agent of all time-time-time-time," he echoed. "WE HAVE THE KING OF KOOOOOPPAAAASSS! And in the other corner, we have strict manager of men-" Karasuma's eyebrow twitched "the big man from Japan, IT'S TADAOMI KARASUMA-SUMA-SUMA-MA-Maaaaa…" he trailed.

The towering Karasuma and Koopa Kid, shaking hands, stood face to face and nodded to one another. They each took a step back and-

"RO SHAM BO!" the two men shouted like super saiyans as they threw out their fists. The final result was Koopa Kid's win with paper and Karasuma's loss with rock.

"Oh come on, Mr. Karasuma! You didn't even try!" Nagisa face-palmed.

"Good job, Boss!" Mario cheered.

"Best two out of three," Noriko protested.

The two men looked at each other and shrugged.

"RO SHAM BO!" The two men yelled again and threw out their fists, however, the same results prevailed.

Karma groaned. "You're not even trying, Chief!"

"Hah! That's our Koopa Kid for you!" Rosalina flipped her hair with a smile.

"Can we get a rematch?" Fia pleaded. "Just one more!"

"Last time," Koopa Kid announced as the two men turned towards each other again.

"RO SHAM BO!"

Karasuma's hand formed paper only to be defeated by Koopa Kid's scissors. The men shook hands and headed back to their seats.

Four pairs of eyes met. "WHAT WAS THAT?" Four of the five car-mates demanded to know why Karasuma had let them down so miserably.

"Well, I tried that time." Karasuma shrugged.

"That time?" they yelled at him.

"It was fated," Haven replied flatly.

Irina smirked, "If you want better equipment, work for a higher standing~."

"Thanks, Koopa," Princess Peach slow clapped, "for submitting me to a crappy car.

"It can't be that bad." Koopa Kid countered. "From what I've heard, the car is fully functional. Nice sound system, AC works, all that jazz. I'm sure you'll be just fine."


	42. Chapter 42: History Time

"A.C. works, my ass. It hasn't worked since we left Chicago." Princess Peach complained from the back of the bus as she fanned herself with a book. "I'm going to kill Koopa Kid next time I see him!"`

"Hey! That's my book! Where did you get it from?" Nagisa exclaimed.

"Your suitcase, obviously," Princess Peach replied. "By the way, nice boxers. I really liked the Sonic Ninja ones."

"You went through my suitcase!" Nagisa exclaimed as he turned red.

Karma smirked. "You know it's just as rude to go through a girl's suitcase as to go through her purse~."

"It's been seven years since then! Drop it already!" Nagisa protested.

Princess Peach smirked, "Yours were nice too, Karma." She turned towards the other girls in the car, "Did you know they have matching Sonic Ninja boxers?"

A low growl could be heard rumbling from the passenger's seat and the three people in the middle row looked at the raging redhead with worried expressions. Suddenly, the aura began to dissipate and Karma sighed. "You know, you keep going on about how you can't trust us, but how do you expect us to trust you when you go through our belongings, antagonize us constantly, and refuse to reveal your name? I'm just saying, man, you aren't making this easier for yourself either." The redhead turned gold orbs to the window.

Feeling the silence settled solemnly throughout the vehicle, Noriko adjusted the rearview mirror and cleared her throat. "We have precisely 3 hours and 47 minutes left until we reach our destination lest we stop for food, gas, restrooms."

"Speak now or forever hold your pee," Fia laughed dryly, acknowledging Noriko's eagerness to arrive.

* * *

The VW bus pulled up to a large hotel, a DoubleOak to be exact. Noriko hopped out of the car and made a beeline for the check-in counter, leaving Fia to park the car while Nagisa and Karma loaded a cart with their luggage. Haven followed after them while Princess Peach trudged after her up to the tenth floor suite once the six had regrouped. It was a three bedroom, two bath, one kitchen suite that overlooked the southern city.

"Akabane, Shiota, you both will take that room over there," Noriko directed, "and Classified will join you later. Jelavic and Karasuma have that room, and we girls have this room. Now move your things so we can begin debriefing. Due to Classified's… leisurely attitude, it seems like his group will arrive late," she spat the word out with disdain.

The Italian girl sighed. "They probably took a few pit stops on the way," Fia offered.

"Um, Noriko, Have you seen the room yet? There's only three single beds." Princess Peach pointed out.

"Also, you're bossing us around again," Haven added.

"Very well," Noriko said hesitantly, "I suppose the briefing can wait until the others arrive, but I stand by the room arrangements."

"Then I'm sleeping on the couch," Princess Peach retorted.

" _I_ will sleep on the couch. That way, I can make sure none of you make any attempts at late-night visitation," Noriko said sternly.

The others sighed and made their ways to their rooms.

A short while later, Princess Peach walked out of her room and towards the door of the suite.

"And where do you think you're going?" Noriko demanded.

"You can find me at the pool," Peach muttered as she left the suite.

With that, Noriko pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar number, so familiar that those numbers had completely faded from her slide phone.

"Come on, Classified, pick up," Noriko mumble as the other line rang. Once, twice…

Haven and Nagisa exited their respective rooms first and caught each other's gazes. Very naturally, they moved to sit next to each other on the living room couch with their computers, even as the ginger paced in across the room in front of them.

"Hello, Noriko!"

"Ah, you actually picked up this time," Noriko greeted, pleasantly surprised. "Now, what's your ETA?"

"I can't pick up right now!" the cheerful voicemail continued. "Call back later! If you must leave a message, you know the drill, after the beep!"

"Classified!" Noriko closed her eyes pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Why aren't you picking up the phone? When are you going to get to the hotel? I'm waiting for you before debriefing them."

Karma shut the door to his shared room with Nagisa as Fia scurried out of her room and rushed the door like college students to free food. The redhead quirked an eyebrow.

"Hey, Fia, wait up. I'll go with you," the redhead called as he hurriedly followed her out.

Noriko slid her phone shut and turned towards the entryway. "Wait, you two!" she yelled at the already closed door. She turned around with a huff to find Nagisa and Haven leaning over the same computer. "What are you two up to?" she asked irritably.

* * *

Karma strolled after the girl bouncing on the heels of her strappy sandals. "So what has you so excited, Fia?"

Smiling, Fia clasped her hands behind her back and slowed her step. "Well, Karma, I was looking out my room window and saw a cute little patisserie! It has little cakes and tarts and chocolates, and I think I saw a little kid walk out with gelato!"

Karma smiled, pushing open the frosted glass door for Fia. The two approached the refrigerated displays and Fia pressed her face up against the cool surface. As she exhaled excitedly, her breath left a ghostly trace of condensation by her lips.

"Look, look! What a beautiful opera cake! Chocolate and coffee? Mm… _Mille-feuille!_ So fluffy! Oh, I want the _Recette du fraisier_!" Fia said, pointing at a glazed strawberry cake topped off with white and pink strawberries. She squinted at the tags carefully. "Oh…" She sighed with remorse. "I didn't bring that much money with me… Noriko has been starving us of fun foods for so long that I forgot how much they usually cost," she huffed.

"Hello, young lady," a man greeted from behind the counter as he piped peach-colored macaron batter onto a crisp baking sheet in tiny circles. He smiled and clapped together powdered hands. "That's our special Kiss of Cupid. If it strikes your fancy, we have a half-price deal for couples."

"Oh, um… We're not…" Karma shifted his gaze hesitantly to his companion, whose peridot eyes stared pleadingly up at him. "Sure, how much will that be?"

The man chuckled. "That will be $15… and a kiss~." He crossed his arms expectantly, eyebrows wiggling.

"Pausing, the redhead looked back towards Fia as his cheeks flushed to match the macarons behind them and was surprised to find her at ease with the idea. He shook his head to himself; of course, this was for the cake… Wasn't it?

"Karma, please?"

Hesitantly, Karma brushed Fia's bangs back and placed a light kiss on the girl's forehead. Smiling, he pulled himself back and gazed down at her.

"That doesn't count," Fia said flatly, her voice a stagnant desert plateau. Karma answered her with a look of surprise.

"I agree with the little lady~," the man behind the counter readily agreed. "It's called the Kiss of Cupid for a reason." He chuckled. "You think I have the couples' special because it brings in business?" He didn't wait a second for an answer. "Nah, I love to see love!"

As if on cue, Karma grabbed Fia by the waist and pulled her flush against him. He entwined his fingers through her roseate auburn hair and tilted her chin up as if admiring a fine assassin's blade. Somewhere between smiling sweetly and smirking dauntlessly, devilishly entrancing, he firmly pressed his lips against hers until he felt her sigh and relax against him. Blushing, Fia ducked her head quickly and, gripping his shoulders, hid her face in the crook of his neck. The redhead laughed, a mixture of relief and surprise, and pushed her back slightly; he wanted to see the expression on her face, her incarnadine cheeks and pouting lip. Malachite eyes met their aureate counterparts and Fia jumped to her tiptoes in order to place another kiss on Karma's lips.

"WONDERFUL!"

Fia faltered, falling against Karma just before her lips could meet his.

"That was a wonderful display~. Will that be just the cake or-"

"Just the cake," Karma answered curtly as the two young agents stepped quickly away from each other. His cheeks burned as he smiled, but Fia had her bashful smile fixated on the glass window outside, anywhere but him.

"That will be…" The man skillfully boxed the cake and opened the register as Karma pulled his leather wallet from his pocket.

"Karma, you don't have to-" Fia began, but was cut off by the cashier.

"And a chocolate strawberry on the house- for your adorable boyfriend," the man replied, placing the box and coated fruit in Fia's hands.

"Th-Thank you!" Fia smiled sweetly between the baker and Karma.

Flustered, Karma placed his hand on Fia's back and herded her out of the castle of confections, mostly to escape the slyly smiling man making macarons. As they walked off, Fia held the chocolate strawberry up to Karma. "For you," her giggle said. He indulged her wishes, taking a bite, and wrapped his arm lazily around her shoulders.

* * *

"Where were you two?" Noriko exclaimed as Fia and Karma walked in, holding a cake box. "It's been hours!"

The two exchanged glances and sighed together. "We went on a walk," Fia offered.

"What made you think that was a good idea?" the stubborn woman demanded to know. "We are not here on a vacation, Akabane, Timo. At least these two were researching the city," Noriko pointed to Nagisa and Haven, both sweat-dropping, who were sitting on the couch.

"Calm down," Karma sighed, "We were researching the city too, just on the ground."

"Oh, really?" she responded with skepticism. "Then why did you two go together? It appears to me as if you went on a date," she spat the word.

Fia pouted, protectively pulling her box closer to her body. "There is safety in numbers, with all due respect, especially in an unfamiliar location," she explained quietly. "We got ourselves familiar with the area and caught wind of a big event tomorrow, though we couldn't gather much else on our time limit."

"Well, then, you could have at least told me!" Noriko replied indignantly.

"You were on the phone, Noriko," Fia finally sighed, exasperated, "Trying to keep tabs on everyone like you always do."

Karma glanced between the women. "Noriko, try to remember, we're all adults here. If you try to control us the way you do, you'll have a coup d'etat on your hands. I respect your abilities and your authority and all, but we don't take lightly to being pushed around like this."

"You're being a little bit controlling," Fia explained softly. "We'll tell you when we go out next time as a matter of safety, but I know I would appreciate a break now and then."

Noriko peered carefully at them. "I understand." The other two sighed in relief and moved to put the cake in the fridge when Noriko's hand shot out and grabbed Karma by the arm. "What's that on your lips?" she asked accusatorily. "Is that lipstick?" Noriko pointed to a stain of pink glossing the corner of Karma's mouth and he blushed slightly.

" _Fragole,_ well, _fraise_ , rather," Fia answered, a touch of color cascading over smooth cheeks. "We got a strawberry with the cake." The ginger shot Fia a skeptical look, to which she sighed. "I don't wear lipstick, Noriko," she gently reminded the older woman.

Slowly, Noriko released her grip on Karma, who exchanged relieved looks with Fia, and escaped to the kitchen. Noriko begrudgingly moved to the couches and read through Nagisa's notes until, soon enough, the door beeped and its metal handle turned. In came Jelavic in a daze, radiating a prismatic aura as she held a pristine white box to her chest. Karasuma followed her and sighed, but Classified entered with a particularly casual swagger that sent Noriko into a fury.

"Classified! Did you even try to get here on time?" She charged him at the door.

Jelavic caught a glimpse of a box on the kitchen island, a replica of the one held in her hands. She gasped astonishingly audibly and threw her hands onto the marbled surface of the island. With a coy glance thrown between Fia and Karma, she asked, "Does this," she paused to seductively slide her fingers across the box, "belong to you?"

Pouting, Fia grabbed her cake container from Jelavic and pulled it towards her defensively. "Maybe it is…"

"Alright!" Jelavic cheered as she threw her arm around Karma's neck. "Now I know that all our hard training paid off~. Taking your brats' first kisses was all too worth it." The bewitching blonde ran her finger along Karma's lips as she spoke, causing him to flinch. "You really could have been your class's best kisser if Nagisa hadn't pulled ahead at the very end."

"Don't remind me," Karma muttered, cheeks tinted. "But she asked for it."

"Eh?" Jelavic found herself staring blankly into the eyes of the Italian. "REALLY? You instigated?" Fia was pulled into a hug and subjected to a long string of "You get 'em, girl! Did you use my special technique?"

Karma shot a longways glance at Karasuma. "I take it you got roped into the special too?" he asked, carefully electing his words lest Noriko catch on to the "couple" part.

A black eyebrow twitched. "If by that, you mean she got on the floor, grabbed my legs, and practically begged me for it, then yes. She's nuts for these… opportunities."

The redhead laughed, throwing his hands behind his head. "What can I say, Chief? You're the real stud-muffin here."

"Then she tried to seduce me with whipped cream and the hotel key card."

"How do you even-" Fia began before Jelavic tackled her again.

"Ha, I would have paid to see that."

"Alright, everyone!" Noriko clapped her hands together but attention fell to the bump on Classified's head. "Let's begin the briefing." She waited for everyone to gather around. "On the agenda tomorrow is-" she began, unfolding her itinerary and shooting Classified an unamused expression. He whistled innocently as she turned the paper to show a schedule scribbled out beyond legibility and written in the bottom of the sheet in large all cap red was, "FUN!"

"Tomorrow evening we will be attending a charity event held by a nearby historical society!" the man exclaimed. "Everyone will be dressed in historical garb from the civil war!"

"We are not going just for fun," Noriko interjected."We are looking for anyone with ties to Corp X, it is a shell company the organization we're after administrates."

"Corp X? That's such a shady name," Nagisa commented. "Who in their right mind would do business with them?"

"Exactly!" Princess Peach said, "I think Hathaway and Co. would have been so much better."

"Regardless, we have costume fittings in half an hour," Noriko continued. "The men's and women's costume shops are right next to each other and very close to the hotel, so let's get moving."

The eight people followed Noriko out of the room and onto the bustling street below.

"It's definitely summer," Classified lazily commented as the warm night air swept over them.

"Summer nights remind me of sunsets and starry skies in Italy with my brother and sister, _Mami_ and _Papi_. It's a safe feeling." Fia hummed and twirled as she walked.

"Really? For me it's the temperature. I realize I don't need a jacket and then I realize it's dark," Haven shrugged, "must be summer."

"Wow, those are two really different ways of describing the same thing…" Nagisa observed with a smile.

"Then what's summer for you, Nagisa?" Karma asked, walking so that the shorter male could keep pace with him.

"Hm… I'm not really sure. Summer vacation is always a plus. Remember the island resort? How about the test of courage? Oh, and the summer festivals!"

"Man, that really brings me back. Koro-sensei really made sure we made the best of our experiences. I really miss the old octopus from time to time."

"Haha, yeah, me too." They exchanged glances with smiles, and broke into a fit of laughter.

* * *

Four of the five women were standing outside their respective changing rooms in stockings and corsets.

"Oh come on, Fia! I know you can cinch it tighter than that!" Jelavic exclaimed as she walked over to the girl and removed the little slack left in the laces.

"Ms. Jelavic, I'm not sure I can breathe," Fia wheezed out.

"Just grin and bear it," Princess Peach sighed as Jelavic tackled her corset in a similar fashion before turning on the smallest girl.

Haven winced. "I once read that rich people like the least practical clothing because it's a way to flaunt how little work they have to do."

Suddenly, Noriko walked out in a simple floor length salmon colored dress from the era.

"Why are all of you in corsets?" Noriko asked, shocked. "Take them off."

"It's historical garb! Besides, it makes you look so much curvier," Jelavic protested.

"Haven, try to touch your toes," Noriko instructed.

Haven leaned forward, but was stopped by the corset after she had reached a 45 degree angle. She kept trying, bouncing a few times before attempting to touch her toes by leaning to the side. Again, no success. Finally, she bent her knees and sat down, touching her toes. The entire time, her face wore the most deadpan expression.

Noriko sighed, "That doesn't count."

"How else was I supposed to touch them?" Haven protested.

"I'm sorry. I set you up for failure." Noriko apologized. "As you can see," Noriko looked to Jelavic, "The girls can't move properly in these corsets. You can leave yours on, but I must insist the girls take them off. The hoop skirts will be enough of a hinderance. Please be quick. Most of the boys are already done."

Noriko walked out of the changing room to meet Classified, Karma, and Karasuma. A short while later, the four other women stepped out in their dresses.

Princess Peach looked down and sighed at her pale red satin dress. It had an off the shoulder neckline that was covered in a lacy black ruffle. The satin had a faint floral pattern and the sleeves were short, barely reaching halfway to her elbow. The skirts were much too large in her opinion, but at least it wasn't as fancy as Jelavic or Fia's.

"That fits very well," Noriko nodded her approval.

"Noriko, why couldn't you have dressed up more?" Classified pouted slightly. Noriko rewarded him with another bump to the head.

Fia spun out in pale green. The top of her dress resembled Princess Peach's, but her skirt was much fancier. Around the waist was a short apron of the same satin trimmed with a paler green lace that matched the lace around the neckline. Below that, the three levels of pleated satin created a full skirt that gracefully fell to the floor.

Karma turned away to hide a reddening face. "You look nice, Fia."

The Italian curtsied to her complementor. "Thank you!" she replied brightly.

Jelavic strutted out in an azure dress with huge puffy sleeves. Although the bodice was rather modest, besides the huge gold ruffle around an off the shoulder neckline, the skirt was truly gaudy. It started as the same azure blue satin in the bodice. However, about halfway down, the blue satin was pulled up by two large gold bows, causing the top of the skirt to be covered in ruffles. Underneath that, the skirt was comprised of three layers of golden pleats.

Jelavic looked at Karasuma, a curious glint in her eyes.

"No." He answered automatically.

"Ah, come on, I didn't even say anything yet!" she protested.

"No, you are not keeping the dress!" the man replied, exhausted. "When would you ever wear it again?"

She tugged at the neckline of her dress and held a handkerchief to a teary eye. "Oh, come now. You're away from home now so often, General Karasuma. Of course your oh-so dedicated wife will be waiting anxiously for your return, to reward you," her hand trailed down his chest, "for all," across his abdomen, "your hard… work." She tried to dip her hand lower but was assaulted by a sudden onslaught of red blood cells falling from her nose.

Classified wolf whistled while Noriko rushed over, clamped Jelavic's nose shut with the handkerchief, and bowled Karasuma over. "NOT ON THE DRESS!"

The man's eyebrow twitched slightly as he steadied himself. "Well if YOU want to work overtime to pay for the dress, be my guest," he grumbled. "But it won't be my credit card you use to buy THAT."

Haven walked out with a murderous look on her face. She was wearing a pale pink dress with puffy sleeves. Although the six layers of ruffles that made the skirts ended at her knees, it about three times Haven's width. A white sash was tied into a large bow in the front of the dress. Matching, slightly smaller bows were attached to each sleeve and the off the shoulder neckline was trimmed with the same ribbon.

"They only had a child's dress in my size," Haven fumed as many of the people around her commented on her cute outfit.

Karma whipped out his phone faster than a sadistic grin could erupt on his face.

"DON'T YOU DARE, AKABANE!" the short girl shrieked.

"Too late~. Should I forward this to the journalism club? I'm sure Rebecca would eat this up!"

"You are so dead!" The girl began trying to chase Karma around the store. He laughed maniacally as he evaded her, launching himself over mannequins, under tables, and off of walls, much to the store keep's dismay. All, of course, while continuously snapping photos of her.

"NO FAIR! I can't chase you like that in this dress!" Haven screamed. "Your uniform is made for this type of movement!"

In the midst of the cat and mouse chase, one would observe Jelavic sulking, Fia spinning absentmindedly, Karasuma contemplating quitting altogether, Classified laughing hysterically, Noriko berating him, and Princess Peach just standing in the corner, hating everyone and everything. Where was Nagisa? Still in the changing room.

He walked out in a simple grey confederate uniform with yellow trim and golden buttons. "What is wrong with the rest of you?" he asked as he watched the chaos unfolding in front of him. "You guys are all crazy!" he yelled.

"You look so cute, Nagisa!" Fia chirped as she grabbed his hand and spun him once around.

Noriko glanced at the bluenette. "What took you so long?"

Nagisa fiddled with his curled ponytail. "Well, you see, they thought I was a girl, so I had to wrestle my way out of a corset and talk them into giving me this instead," he sighed. "Actually… It looked exactly like yours, Haven, just in yellow. Yours suits you," Nagisa offered with a smile.

Haven, stopping mid-step in her chase, blushed embarrassedly, her bloodlust pacified for the time being.

Karma stopped too, sighing. "Damn, and here I was hoping for a cosplay photoshoot, Nagisa, to send to our buddies back home! I promised them a heck of a hoop skirt!"

"WOULD YOU LET IT GO ALREADY?!"

"ATTENTION!" Classified hollered and the room fell quiet. "Now, we can't all go to the event tomorrow in a single group. It would attract way too much att-" the man was interrupted by a hand being clamped over his mouth.

"Not in public, Winfred! We don't know who's listening," Noriko seethed.

Classified removed her hand. "Winfred? That's way too posh to be the right answer. As for security, we know the people who work the shop. It'll be fine. Back to what I was saying- to decide our groups, let's change it up!"

Princess Peach scoffed. "Why don't you guys do what you normally do? I can work alone," she insisted.

Karma looked down his nose at the raven-haired girl. "As much as we would all love for you to get what you want and stop harassing the rest of us, I agree with captain condescending over there. It would be good to change up how we approach people on these missions."

"I agree with Karma," Noriko said, surprising herself. "If we change how our group interacts, the target would have less of a chance of noticing us."

"Okay, so," Nagisa contemplated aloud, "how are we picking our aliases?"

"I assume that is for each group to decide," Karasuma said.

"So, is everyone ok with this?" Noriko asked. Everyone's eyes turned to Princess Peach in response. The raven haired girl sighed loudly and shrugged in agreement.

"All righty!" Classified began with gusto. Many of the people in the room groaned as the man with green hair began writing names on slips of paper and tossing them into a nearby top hat. He put nine slips of paper in it then put his hand into the hat and pulled out two scraps. "Our first team will be Karasuma and Haven."

Haven shrugged nonchalantly as Karasuma nodded his head, sending a furtive glance at his wife as Classified shouted out the next pair.

"The next team is Jelavic and me! Woo-hoo, I'm a lucky man!"

Jelavic crossed her arms with a scowl. "Yeah, you better count your lucky stars before I have you seeing them. How did I get stuck with this boisterous, bumbling idiot?"

"And here I thought you liked me," Classified feigned a hurt expression. "Anyways, the next team is…" He felt around the hat and pulled out two slips. He flipped open one between his thumb and index finger. "Karma and…" He opened the other between his middle and ring fingers. "Oh, you're in for a treat. Noriko, you're with Karma!"

Pink lips accelerated faster than a colored thought. "I have to work with him?" Noriko demanded. "I'm not here to babysit, so you better behave yourself, Karma," she immediately clarified.

Irises smelted from sheets of golden ore met kunzite eyes, sharp and clear. "No offense, but I don't think I want to work with her either," he began to Classified, "if she can't acknowledge how seriously I take our work."

Classified waved his hand dismissively. "You'll figure it out, I'm sure," he said before quickly moving on. "Now we have Princess Peach and Fia, which leaves Nagisa as our solo soldier, our double-o seven, our pigtailed pioneer of assassination tactics!"

Nagisa tilted his head ever so slightly. "Um, I'm not really sure what to make of that, Sir," he answered, interrupted by Princess Peach.

"Ah HELL no!" Princess Peach exclaimed, "I refuse to work with that little ball of overflowing optimism and sunshine!"

"Little ball…" Nagisa started, startled.

"Of overflowing optimism," Haven continued hesitantly.

"And sunshine?" Karma finished incredulously.

"Excuse me?" Fia asked, a polite smile plastered on pretty pink lips. "I-I must have misheard you."

"Exactly what I'm talking about!" Princess Peach fumed. "You and your view of the world through rose-colored lenses."

Fia quirked an auburn eyebrow. "Are you shitting me right now?"

"Impressive, she finally cursed." Princess Peach spat.

As Fia stared blankly down at the raven-haired rebel, the other agents exchanged glances that read "what now?"

"I swear a lot," Fia said slowly, albeit confusedly. "What makes you think I don't? I fucking swear at that shithead all the time!" she chirped. "I use fuck, shit, crap…" She counted on her fingers.

"Don't forget _cazzo,_ " Karma added with a smirk.

Green eyes flickered in his direction and Fia added her middle finger to the count. "Right, _bastardo._ "

"That's not the point I'm trying to make here," Princess Peach sweatdropped. "Even so, she's such a ditz!"

Fia pouted. "You know, I'm really trying to be patient with you but…"

"It's a miracle that you can get anything done around here. Jelavic would have done better taking on just about any one of us! How does she put up with your annoying personality? Better yet, how'd you manage to seduce the redhead? He must have some really low standards; or are ginormous breasts all it takes?"

Nagisa, becoming concerned, looked to Karma. "Shouldn't you stop them?"

Karma rubbed the back of his neck and hesitantly glanced away from the girls. "I think Fia can handle herself, but I'll step in if it gets bad," he added reassuringly.

Fia tensed up, withdrawing slightly. "Is that all you have to say? What gives you the right to -"

"I bet you'd be optimistic even if one of your family members died!" Princess Peach taunted. Earthly olive eyes flashed a poignant, frigid chartreuse. "I bet you'd say that this is all part of God's shitty plan!" the ruby-eyed girl continued.

"Is Fia even religious?" Jelavic whispered. "Her sister wasn't."

Fia scowled as the her face took on the color of her pounding heart, serrated and sawed apart by every stream of searing words Princess Peach spouted at her. "What do you know about me? About fate? About God's wrath?"

"Not much," Haven replied, "but she still prays every once in awhile."

"It's probably Princess Peach's view," Noriko concluded.

"What do you know about me?! You couldn't possibly understand me or how I operate!" the girl cried. "You're just a spoiled, pampered princess who -"

Fia stepped forward and hooked her leg around Princess Peach's ankle. Grabbing the younger girl's shoulder and pushing her back while sliding her hooked leg around, Fia knocked Princess Peach onto her back on the floor. Princess Peach moved to jump up but came face to face with a glinting dagger, its point perfectly poised between her melanoid pupils.

"Yes _,_ I am a princess, and I know that all too well. It marks me, it haunts me, it is me," Fia whispered, quieter than the rush of a breeze through the verdant splendor of a willow tree. "I have pride, because it is my heritage, because being a so-called 'princess' is what defines my family but, that title brings me shame too. I have…" Fia pinned down the struggling younger girl with all of her weight. "Lost my brother, lost my home, lost my dignity in my own last name. I am marked, forever, by a traitorous legacy." Face stoic but elegantly framed by her hair cascading like liquid amber, Fia rose gracefully from Princess Peach's collapsed form. "I have long given up on crying myself to sleep every night; no one will wipe your tears for you but yourself at the end of the day." She slid the smooth blade of the dagger back into its sheath, stealthily tucked beneath her satin sleeve. "You think I won't understand you, then try me. _Chiedete, e vi sarà dato._ Ask, and it shall be given to you."

"Matthew 7:7" Princess Peach murmured. She jumped up quickly. "I might have underestimated you, but that doesn't mean I want to work with you." Princess Peach stormed off back into a changing room.

The agents exchanged glances that read "She's being such a teenager…"

"I still didn't expect Fia to do that," Jelavic said, surprised but pleasantly surprised.

Classified whistled, ignoring Karasuma's blatantly unamused stare.

Karasuma's groomed eyebrow twitched."Still, that was quite the impressive takedown," he complimented, much to Fia's embarrassment. She quickly hid her face in her hair and slid herself into his arms.

"See that agility? That flexibility? This is why we don't wear corsets!" Noriko announced confidently. Needless to say, everyone else in the room groaned.

* * *

After breakfast the next morning, the nine agents got into their costumes.

"It's only natural for Jelavic and I to go as a married couple," Classifed said once everyone had gathered. "Has everyone else decided their cover stories?"

"Just a bachelor," Nagisa shrugged.

"Two friends," Fia reported, casting a sidelong glance at Princess Peach, who was indifferently inspecting her watch.

"Um… Uncle and niece?" Haven said wearily.

"We'll go as siblings." Noriko declared.

"I don't think that'll fly." her partner replied with a quirked eyebrow.

"Don't make things difficult!"

"Have you looked in a mirror recently? We may both have reddish hair," Karma pointed at her, "but we look completely different. You look white, and I am very much Japanese."

"Then what do you suggest?" the ginger woman returned.

"As much as I hate it, as fiances."

"I guess that'll do as well," Noriko huffed.

"If you like, it can be an arranged thing," he offered.

* * *

Karma shot a glance between Noriko and the two girls silently sitting at a table together across the room. "You know, dearest fiance, those two don't look like they're getting along. Perhaps if another friend had tagged along with them, they might get to talking."

"You have a point. Also, stop trying to woo me. This is an arranged union," Noriko protested.

The redhead rolled his eyes. "I'm not trying to woo you; that was sarcasm, but at least my acting is better than those two over there." Karma muttered under his breath, gesturing to where Haven was sitting next to Karasuma, both eating their food mechanically and in sync. "I take that back."

"Well, those two seem to be cooperating better than Mr. and Mrs. Farrell," Noriko commented as she pointed to the couple sitting across from them, bickering like the married couple they were pretending to be.

Jelavic turned to the two, "Don't ever get married. All you end up doing is fighting," she advised. "Then again, maybe the problem's just my lecherous old Joseph," she jabbed her thumb at Classified.

"Fear not, ma'am. I plan to do nothing of the sort any time soon," Noriko replied.

Karma turned towards Noriko with a hurt expression. "What? How could you call our love arranged? I'm quite hurt, Natalie. Are you not my beloved fiance?" he asked, his voice tender, pleasant. "I wouldn't have proposed to you if I didn't love you." Karma's nimble fingers danced across Noriko's. "Won't you tell me what's wrong, sweetie? Why are you treating me so coldly?" He trailed off, saddened eyes dropping to the floor only to find their way back to Noriko's, searching in earnest for the slightest spark of feeling.

"I am deeply disturbed by this…" Noriko began scooting away.

"Now, now, Honey, it's ok. I know you're just a bit embarrassed." Karma smiled as he put an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, causing the woman to blush slightly.

"Our marriage is arranged if you don't recall… regardless of your feelings, there is a financial reason our parents set us up," Noriko replied, slightly flustered.

Before Karma could respond, a certain bluenette walked by, holding his cellphone to his ear. He brushed against Karma's chair and said, "Yes, at three o'clock, your time."

Karma turned to Noriko. "I understand your hesitation, my dear. Perhaps we should walk around and talk this out. Hmm?" he suggested as he got up and offered her a hand. She hesitantly accepted it and took his arm as he led her directly towards a businessman to their right.

A short distance away, a white haired child snickered at the couple.

"What's so funny, Yuki?" the man next to her asked.

"Oh nothing, Uncle Mori," the girl whistled innocently.

"Has anything in particular happened to you recently?" Karasuma asked carefully.

Haven stopped whistling. "Now what would give you that idea, dearest Uncle?"

"You've been secretive with your computer as of late, or so your 'mother' says. She was hoping I could talk to you about it," he replied.

"Oh, I see. That's why you brought me here," Haven sweatdropped and began pushing her food around her plate with her fork. "Nothing's going on," she muttered. A coal gaze eyed the younger female suspiciously before turning back to the food in front of him.

"And…" Noriko trailed off, her eyes planted on the desserts table they were passing.

"And?" Karma asked, following her line of sight.

Noriko snapped to attention. "And… " she failed to continued, her eyes returning to a tray of macarons.

"Those look pretty good, didn't they," Karma noted.

"Y-" Noriko stopped. "Nothing special about them. Not like I like macarons anyways."

"I realize you're on a diet, dearest, but I'm sure one won't hurt. I know they're your favorite," Karma smiled as he watched their target over her shoulder.

"They're really good," Princess Peach whispered as she passed, munching on an orange one.

"WHAT? I thought you were dating that girl!" the man in a chef's hat behind the dessert table exclaimed, pointing to Fia who was standing only a few feet away, nibbling on a mousse like a mouse.

"What?!" shouted Noriko, turning to Karma.

"What?" asked Karma, turning to Fia.

"What?" said Fia, only just now noticing the baker. "Oh, hi!"

"And here I thought that passionate kiss was real. I feel so deceived!" the baker lammented.

"YOU LIAR!" Noriko slapped the stunned Karma across the face. "You said it was only a walk!"

"Ow!" Karma flinched. "We were on a walk! We ended up at a dessert store and kissed for the special! Ms. Bitch and Karasuma did the same thing and you're not on their cases for it!"

"As if it matters anyways," Noriko huffed. "We are an arranged couple. Go have a mistress for all I care."

Fia stared blankly between the two. "Um… Did I miss something here?"

"I see how it is," the baker sighed. "So complicated. Alas, this is what happens when you do not marry for love."

"Tell me about it" Fia muttered, cheeks reddening. "That's how you start a civil war, I tell you."

"Young lady!" the baker cried as he took Noriko's hands. "You cannot not marry for love! It is a crime against your very own heart! I know not what your parents have said, but break off this engagement and free your very spirit! Your soul screams, soaring like an eagle in search of passion! May that be your purpose or love…!"

A crowd had gathered around the commotion. As Noriko looked away from the baker, her eyes landed on a green hair man barely containing his laughter.

"Oh! Is that the man you love?" the baker asked, taking notice.

Classified immediately rushed over and literally swept Noriko off of her feet. "Oh, my lovely sweet, I had no idea that you felt that way about me!"

"YOU ARE A MARRIED MAN, SIR!" Noriko reminded her holder.

"I don't care. I like that man over there," Jelavic piped up, pointing to Karasuma with a smug expression.

"Oh, no…" Karasuma sighed. He hadn't wanted to get roped up into this mess.

"Will you be my auntie?" Haven said robotically as she tugged at Jelavic's sleeve.

"OH YOU POOR SOUL!" The baker ran to Haven's side. "I know it's difficult without your mother around, but I think this lovely lady will be a wonderful mother for you."

Jelavic, sweat-dropping, pulled Haven into her chest. "Oh, you're so cute! I could just smother you!"

Karasuma separated the two with a sigh. "Would you calm down?"

Irina's eyes glinted and she ditched Haven to lunge for Karasuma's pants. She yanked a pair of rings out from his pocket, shoved them on their ring fingers, and jumped into his arms, bridal style, all while laughing confidently.

"Are you doing ok?" Nagisa asked a somewhat dead Haven.

"I couldn't breathe through her enormous tatas…" Haven murmured, looking mentally-scarred for life.

"I completely understand," Nagisa gave her a reassuring hug.

"Oh! Are you two in love as well?" the baker asked.

Nagisa smiled shyly under bright blue eyes. "Well, I do love her a lot…"

Half the crowd swooned and sighed with an audible "D'awww" at the little couple but the other half was chanting, cult-like, "Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!" at the tiger lilly pair. Classified had his lips extended towards Noriko as she assaulted him with several blows.

"NO WAY!" Noriko broke free from the man's grasp and marched up to the baker. "GIVE ME 10 MACARONS!"

"But why? There was no love in that statement," he explained tearfully. "Not for your love, not even for my love-filled creations."

"MY TRUE LOVE IS MACARONS!" the woman declared.

"NOW THAT'S AN ANSWER I CAN STAND BY!" The baker cheered.

Classified dropped to his knees. "How could you leave me?! I LOVE YOU! MY… MY… MY MACARONS!" Classified rushed over the plate of macarons and snatched them.

"JOSEPH, NO SWIPING!" Fia declared, hands on her hips. "JOSEPH, NO SWIPING!"

Noriko hiked up her skirt and kicked off her short heels. "YOU!" she roared as she tackled the green-haired man to the floor and made off with the macaron plate.

"Aw, man…" Classified said with a laugh and a snap of his fingers before jumping to his feet to try and win back his "wife."

Fia huffed and stared up at Karma. "I could feel her pain, just imagining losing my favorite treat…"

Karma snickered. "Maybe I should take that stash of gelato you hid in the microfridge under your bed then~."

"How did you know?! That's not funny!"

"What? You wouldn't chase me down to every corner of the world?" the redhead asked with a smirk.

"I would, b-but for the gelato!" Fia protested hotly. "And… maybe for you. Cherry has grown on me."

"Then it would still be worth it," Karma laughed as he ruffled her hair.

Princess Peach scoffed as she passed by the couple and tried to remove herself from the vicinity.

Citric eyes scanned the crowd meticulously. "Although, I think we should take advantage of a crowd."

"Divide and conquer? What am I looking for?" The Italian asked, relaxing her shoulders, her presence.

"Go left, I'll go right. Look for anything or anyone who seems out of place, or isn't paying attention to this crowd." With that, they dispersed, two maple seeds caught up in the whispering winds of suspicion and rumor.

The baker's eye for color led him to the ghost of garnet. He flocked to Princess Peach. "Excuse me, little lady, are you not here with anyone tonight?"

"Like I be with any of those idiots," the girl retorted.

"I saw you with the lovely lady in green earlier. Aren't you two friends?" the large man asked with a small smile.

"It's not like I spent time with her because I wanted to," Princess Peach scoffed.

"That's a cold answer; I could get frostbite!" he shivered.

"I wouldn't say _she's_ my friend," Princess Peach clarified, as a haze of memories flooded her head. "She reminds me of one I used to have though," the girl said with a surprisingly soft voice.

"Why the past tense?"

"Because we aren't anymore. I'm not sure if that person was my friend to begin with though…" the girl trailed off. "I admired and despised that friend," Princess Peach continued, forgetting about the baker standing next to her. "They acted so cheerful and naive all the time, yet they'd suffered so much. I've gone through a fraction of that suffering and I've become angry and cynical and mean," She sighed heavily.

"If you don't like it, why not change it?" the man asked. "You think a recipe starts off perfect? No, no! It evolves as it passes from experienced hands to experienced hands and it changes every time! And it does not need to be perfect for anybody else but you, my friend! Your blend, your seasoning, it is your call, no? If you don't want so much spice, add some sugar and try, try, try again."

The baker's voice brought Princess Peach back to the realm of reality, along with her bad attitude. "Tch, you make it sound so easy," Princess Peach huffed as she walked away.

She made her way outside before taking a deep breath. "He didn't deserve that… he was just trying to help. None of them should have to deal with any of my crap," She muttered bitterly.

"Alright, alright!" Classified called to the crowd with his arms around both Karasuma's and Jelavic's shoulders. "Nothing more to see here!"

Karasuma rubbed his temples. "How do we always manage to draw such attention to ourselves?"

Jelavic elbowed Classified in the ribs. "We've been really unlucky recently. Who knew the baker was going to show up here?"

Karasuma nodded. "That means we'll just have to get more careful. Next assignment, we should take care to disguise ourselves, physically and mentally."

"Ooooh, deep cover. I like it!" Classified chirped.

Noriko's phone began beeping persistently in her pocket. The woman began to fumble with balancing macarons and opening the phone when Karma slipped it out of her hand and picked the call up.

"Hello? This is Mr. President speaking," he answered.

"We've found a huge lead." Koopa Kid shouted on the other line. "Bit off more that we can chew here and need back-up! Tell Liz it's urgent!"

At this, scarlet brows knitted together. "Liz?"

"She didn't tell you her name?" Koopa Kid, swearing under his breath, realized. "Peach! Princess Peach! Just tell her to get here!"

"Alright, keep calm. I need a working location," Karma explained.

"Vegas! The Strip!"

"Yes, okay, be there soon. Direct any updates to Ice Queen or to me." Karma replied as he hung up.

Noriko swallowed the last of the macarons in her mouth and gave Karma a surprised look. "That was very professional of you."

"I am when it matters," the redhead answered before talking into his comms set. "There's an emergency situation with one of the other teams," he explained quickly. "Chief, get the car. Princess Peach and Chem, you're our fastest runners, change into street clothes and and pack up at the hotel; Take the back alley. Monroe, return the costumes - including yours. Ice Queen, hack the security and keep us covered. Notebook, finish up taking your notes and report to us in the car; Chief will come around for you. Lady Luck and I will cover to the best of our abilities." He paused, assessing the situation and each individual's strengths once more, and added, "And, No Name, just stay out of trouble."

"That's exactly what I would have said…" Noriko admitted with slight trepidation. She eyed the redhead, who bit his thumb as he counted off the number of the agents discreetly ducking out of the party. "What should I do?" she offered as a token of respect to the agent with less authority than she.

His luminous, lucid gaze descended upon her like Helios's coruscating chariot flown by the ambitious Phaethon.

"I trust your abilities. I think you should cover our Ice Queen," Karma responded as he returned Noriko's phone to her.

"And you? What are you going to do?" Noriko inquired.

Karma ran a hand through his hair. "I'm going to find Classified," he muttered. "Someone has to make sure he's not just goofing off."

"I guess you do work hard. I must have missed it because I've never seen you work in person before," Noriko explained with a controlled expression.

Karma cracked a smirk. "Are you sure I didn't spike the macarons? I was at the bakery earlier. Or maybe this was all just a ploy to get the macarons to myself?" He laughed as he avoided a blow from the embarrassed woman. She let loose a small chuckle, albeit dry, and moved to fulfill her designated task.

* * *

Narrator: Sorry characters, we're taking over this comment box.

Characters: NO FAIR! WE PROTES- (silence)

Narrator: Sorry we had to mute you guys. We have lots of news. First, Left Brain will talk about some problems in the last chapter, which we hope you all enjoyed.

Left Brain: There are corrections to make! The first correction is when Princess Peach… I mean Liz… mentioned her sibling was named Lucille. The name should be Carly. There was some debate over what the name would be before the chapter was published and I forgot to change the name, but it has been fixed. If this message makes no sense to you, just ignore it. The second correction is when the Narrator said, "This is . Shippers congregate here." The end of the first sentence was supposed to be the website you are on right now. I do not believe we are allowed to reference websites, so it was cut out.

Right Brain: Sooooo, this chapter was meant to shed some new perspectives on a few of our characters. We wanted to show Karma's more responsible side and give some insight into why Princess Peach acts as crassly as she does. For Fia, we wanted to show the seriousness underlying her generally bubbly personality, and for Noriko, the quirks behind that totalitarian personality. Hope that came through~~.

Left Brain: We planned to release this more than a month ago, but I left for China before we had a chance to finished it. With China's restricted internet and a large time difference, working on this was impossible after I left. We are very sorry for the late release and will work on releasing more periodically from now on.

Right Brain: With my family visiting from other parts of the country and driving lessons, I'll be a little busy this month, but we're aiming to post at least one chapter by the beginning of August! Then hopefully we can streamline at least one or two more chapters before we start classes again in September.

Narrator: Should we unmute the characters now….?

Left Brain: Nah, they're just ranting about what we wrote in this chapter… and munching on macarons….

Narrator: Next Chapter, our favorite director makes an appearance and the housemates arrive in Sin City! ...Or not.


	43. Spin Off 15-5: Shine Time

Fia shyly approached her friend of two years. "Hi, Angel."

The white-haired girl looked up at her timid friend. "Hello, Tsu-chan." Haven gave Fia a questioning look. Usually, the girl was only shy towards other people. She thought they had gotten past this barrier after the first year of knowing each other.

Fia blushed. "I was wondering… I wanted to ask you since we're going to be roommates next year… If you'd mind me putting up glow-in-the-dark stars in the apartment.

"Why are you asking me this?" Haven asked. "We're practically already roommates."

"Yes, but I haven't actually put any of my stuff in your room, and I was hoping the stars could cover the whole ceiling," she explained. "So, what do you think?" Hope was written all over the girl's face.

"I think that stars could be nice," Haven replied with a slight smile.

"Really? I'll get working on them right away!" Fia radiated with happiness as she bounded off in a hurry.

"Did she just say that she would work on them?" Haven inquired.

"I think so," a voice answered from her laptop screen. "Are glow-in-the-dark stars not buyable?"

"They are," Haven said as she tucked her hair behind her ears and turned back to her computer. She shrugged. "Tsu-chan is just being herself. "Now, where were we, Mr. Robo?"

* * *

Finishing buttoning up her lab coat and tightening the straps on her goggles, Fia smiled. Her entire mini-lab was set out on the table in front of her. Chemicals bubbled in greeting and water dripped rhythmically, the heartbeat of her entire operation.

"The fundamental science of bioluminescence!" she cheered. "On today's show," she announced to the empty room, "I'll show you kids how to make things bioluminescent!" Fia held up a glow stick like a model might. "That means this can glow in the dark, but I'm not here to show you some elementary highlighter trick - I'm going to show you how animals in the WILD bioluminesce! Now, isn't THAT exciting? Don't worry, though, I only plan to use this on some good, old-fashioned plastic stars," she giggled. "Shall we begin?"

Fia carefully and dutifully began mixing chemicals and creating compounds. Just because she liked to be cautious and because she loved chemistry so much, Fia took an extra amount of time before addressing her 'audience' again. "Oxygen, that is to say O2, will be our reactant. We need to catalyze the ATP-dependent decarboxylation of luciferin - " she began.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. A boy dressed in a blue and brown hoodie with game controllers hanging from around his shoulders turned the doorknob and stuck his head through the door. "Hey, Fia!" he called. "What are you doing?"

Fia frowned. "Ah-ah-ah. Goggles must be worn at all times in the lab - "

"This is your room - "

"The same goes for closed-toes shoes and rolling long sleeves back - "

"Already done, I - "

"And tying back long hair - "

"Does it look like I have that problem?"

"No smelling or touching or consuming any chemicals - "

"Fia - "

"Or catching falling sharp objects, or sticking things into outlets - "

"FIA!"

"S-Sorry," Fia said with nervous laughter. "Did you need something?" She gingerly placed a green beaker on the demonstration table, a.k.a. her desk.

"Nothing much," Benny admitted. He put down his backpack by the door and walked over to see what she was working on. "What's all this?"

Fia smiled. "Oh, just a little something for Haven and I. It's done, and the next time she sees it, I'm going to make it rain down on her!" Fia giggled, imagining how pretty the light would be as it drifted down from the ceiling and diffused throughout their shared bedroom.

"What's it supposed to do?"

"Make her glow~!" Fia winked as she began putting away her chemicals and taking off her lab equipment. As she tidied up, Fia's phone began playing 'O Sole Mio' and she ran over to grab it. "Benny! I'm running late for class - can you put the beaker in the cabinet behind you?" Fia waved as she ran out the door.

He looked to the beaker on the table and grabbed it. Staring at the green liquid, Benny sweat-dropped. Fia wouldn't mind if he borrowed it for a little while, right?

* * *

"Haven!"

After typing a few more lines of code, Haven shut her computer. Without needing to look up, she said "Hello, Benny."

Carefully balancing the beaker in his hand, Benny ran up to Haven with a grin. "I have a surprise for you, Haven!"

"What is it?" she asked. "I'm a little busy at the moment."

Benny tried frantically to keep her there. "It'll only take a minute! Ta-da!" he cheered as he brought the beaker to her face. She shot him a questioning look. "I, um, let's see. I think I'm supposed to sprinkle this on you?" Benny dribbled the liquid a little bit over Haven's hair.

She scrunched her face up as the warm chemicals ran through her white hair and down her face in green streaks. "Benny," she warned with a cold voice.

"S-Sorry," he apologized immediately, intimidated by Haven's black-as-coal glare. "I thought Fia's surprise would make you happy."

"Did you say Fia made this…?" Haven asked, her eyes growing wide.

"Yeah?" Benny replied.

"Why do you have FIA'S concoction?!" she exclaimed. "You know how dangerous that is?" Haven held her hand open expectantly.

"BENNY?!"

The brunette turned to see Fia running towards them with a dismayed facial expression. Benny, however, slipped on some of the chemical residue that had dripped from Haven's hair to the floor and fell. Fia tried to stop as quickly as she could but, being as clumsy as she was, she also tripped.

Haven sighed as she surveyed the scene. Benny had somehow ended up with his butt in the air several feet away. Fia, by contrast, was covered with the green goop that had been in the beaker. She looked like she was torn between crying and laughing.

"Are you alright, Tsu-chan?" Haven asked as she helped Fia to her feet.

"Oh, yeah. I'm positively glowing with happiness," Fia said sarcastically.

"What do you mean, Tsu-chan? What was in the beaker?"

It was as Haven turned off the lights to sleep that night that she noticed something. Approaching the mirror attached to the back of her dorm room door, Haven inspected her appearance. As if being completely snow white wasn't bad enough, her hair and face were glowing in long streaks.

"... TSU-CHAN!"

Fia tossed in turned in her bed. She felt as if someone were cursing her and she couldn't sleep, but maybe that was just because her body was shining brighter than the lights in her room ever could. Recalculating the solution strength in her head, Fia rolled over to hug her pillow and began to count glow-in-the-dark sheep as she drifted off to sleep.

Needless to say, Benny felt so guilty that he avoided them both for the next week.

* * *

Narrator: So, this is my special treat to you readers for being unable to post as often soon. However, before school really starts to get to me, I'm going to try to post as much as I can over the next few days!


	44. Spin Off 33-5: Camping Time

"Aren't you excited to be 'leaf'-ing the city, Haven?" Earnest asked the girl sitting next to him in the backseat. She hummed in response and continued reading _Alice Through the Looking Glass_.

"Going on a bear hunt," Joy sang from the driver's seat. It didn't take long for Earnest to start singing along. Haven, on the other hand, continued to read silently.

"Haven, do you have a song you want to sing?" Joy asked. Haven just shook her head and turned a page in her book.

"How much longer till we get to camp?" she asked without looking up.

"About half an hour," Joy smiled.

"Right," Haven closed her book and put on a baseball cap.

* * *

A tall teenage boy guided a small, auburn-haired pigtailed girl towards the crowd of children surrounding him. He ran a hand through his mahogany-colored hair as he turned to face the group. "I'm Felix," a guy said with a cheerful smile. "I'll be your camp counselor. Let's get along, okay~?"

"Yeah!" Earnest jumped around, along with several of the other campers. Haven just nodded her head.

"So, here's the cabin assignments," Felix started listing off groups of four campers. He finished with, "Looks like Haven and Earnest have their own."

Haven began lugging her stuff to the assigned cabin. Behind her, Earnest was trying to balance his water bottle on his head.

* * *

Earnest's surprised voice exclaimed from the forested area nearby.

"I told you it was a bad idea, Earnest," Haven called from her seat on a nearby log.

"How wasp I supposed to know this would happen!" Earnest ran past chased by a swarm of buzzing insects.

"Felix, could you help him?" Haven sighed and went back to reading her book.

Felix was alarmed by what he thought was trumpeting. He was definitely not expecting to see one of his campers being chased around by an entire colony of wasps. He grabbed a can of raid and ran towards the camper.

"NO! Don't spray them!" Earnest protested. "I'll just jump into the lake!"

A tiny pigtailed girl looked from one of her cabin-mates to the window. "Hey, I think a guy out there is in trouble."

The older girl stretched out on her bed and undid the high ponytail holding her wild copper hair. "Let him be. He probably deserved it."

"I-I think I should help…" she protested quietly.

"And what will you do? Just get into more trouble." The girl opened one eye to look at her younger companion, who was still worriedly staring out the window. "You can check on them later and cheer them up," she sighed, "that's what you're good at."

Hesitantly, she nodded and decided to let Felix, who was trying to get the rest of the campers inside their respective cabins as a precaution against the wasps, handle it. Miraculously, it seemed like no one had gotten hurt.

* * *

"Could you get Earnest, please?" Felix asked Haven as he worked on repairing some canoes. She nodded and ran off in the direction Earnest had gone earlier. She searched for about ten minutes before finding him.

When she saw Earnest, Haven screeched, "EARNEST, RUN! THE MOTHER'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"

"She finds me 'bear'-able," Earnest smiled and continued to play with the cub. Haven grabbed his hand and tried to drag him away. Suddenly, she heard a low rumble and turned to see the mother bear glaring at her.

Haven stopped and dropped to the ground, dumbstruck. "I can't believe it. She thinks you're her cub."

* * *

"I'm having a paddle with the water!"

"Right, that's it!" Haven leaned over suddenly, causing the canoe to capsize. "Oops. It was an accident," Haven said in a monotonous voice as she shoved her baseball cap back on her head. Several other campers were laughing.

"I trout that," Earnest splashed her playfully and, after a few more exchanges of splashing water and puns with snarky retorts, the two began sloshing their way towards the shore.

"Are you two okay?" Felix asked as two thoroughly-soaked campers approached him. "I saw the canoe flip." He handed a towel to Haven and waited with the other for Earnest to return.

"We're fine," Haven grumbled as she grabbed the folded towel from him.

"Yeah, it went swimmingly!" Earnest grinned. Haven shoved him back into the lake.

"Is he going to be okay?" Felix sweatdropped.

"He'll make friends with some of the fish and be fine," Haven walked past.

"Hey," Earnest popped up grinning, "I think I just saw a catfish!"

"Told you," Haven called as she continued tromping to the cabins.

"I'll come back to the cabins when I'm fin-ished!" Earnest said as he dived back into the lake.

"Did he just say fin-ished?" A familiar girl approached and giggled quietly as she took Felix's hand. "If you come up with a better pun, you should let minnow…" She mumbled with pink cheeks.

Felix shook his head with a smile and, placing his head gently on the girl's head, guided her to stand in front of him. She looked up at him nervously and he smiled reassuringly. Nodding, the small child turned back to Earnest.

"I-I think that was a very porpoise-ful pun…" she admitted shyly.

Earnest laughed and splashed his way back onto the shore. "I only do it for the halibut!" he grinned. "My s'krill is off the hook! But its net-worth is un-cod-ly! Some people don't always like the sharky comments though." He shot a goofy grin at Haven, who groaned un-appreciatively.

"This is cruel and unusual pun-ishment, Earnest!" Haven shouted from a distance.

The pigtailed girl laughed softly. "They say to keep your friends close and anemones closer…"

Earnest extended his hand towards the girl with a huge smile. "I'm Earnest. You're pretty punny! What's your name?" Large, dark eyes widened as the girl blushed profusely and clung to Felix's leg shyly. He accepted a towel from Felix and started drying his hair. "What? Catfish got your tongue? If so, I'll just have to reel you in, hook, line, and sinker with another high-tide of puns!" He grinned as Haven sighed again.

The girl tried to suppress her laughter but couldn't. "You're o-fish-ally the funniest camper here; I'm shore of it," she giggled. "And quite koi too…"

Felix ruffled the girl's hair and turned to Earnest. "I'm going to check on the other campers. Try not to get into too much trouble," he laughed wryly, knowing it wouldn't be long until Earnest got himself into another mess. Even as he spoke, he could see that Earnest, having discarded his towel, was already heading back to the lake.

"Felix?" the girl asked questioningly. Her grip on him tightened as if she were scared to let go.

He smiled and leaned down to kiss the girl on the forehead, nose, and both cheeks. Whispering, he said, "You have _amicos_ now. You don't need to cling to just me and Felicia, _si_ , _sorellina?_ " He waited for her to nod and let go. "See you at the bonfire then," he said with a soft smile.

* * *

"It nearly 'whisk'-ered me away!" Earnest boasted next to the fire. The girl next to Felix continued to laugh. Tears came to her eyes and red pigmented her cheeks as she had to cling to the older camp counselor for support.

"Can I push him into the fire?" Haven grumbled.

"No, it's wrong to kill your brother," Felix sighed.

"He's not my brother," Haven replied.

"It's still not right," Felix began, "And killing someone can take away a lot of opportunities." Felix pulled the pigtailed girl into his arms and smiled regretfully down at her. Laughing too much at Earnest's assault of puns, she didn't notice.

"Blame it on salmon-else!" Earnest suggested.

"I-I'm floundering to keep up with y-you!" the girl exclaimed through gasps for air. "You're cray!"

"Don't get crabby at me! I can't kelp it!" he protested with a grin.

"That's dolphin-ately a load of carp!" she retorted with a giggle.

"There's more where that came from! Good things come to those who bait. Don't understand? I'll let you mullet over!"

Holding her sides, she fell over with a huge outburst of laughter. She laughed so hard that she was reduced to a pile of quiet giggles and gasps.

"Oh, looks like I lobster," Earnest noted. "I better tuna around and look for help!"

"Don't be shellfish!" The girl sat up with a smile. "Stop telling puns, and I'll have ya sleeping with the fishes!" she exclaimed with a sudden sharpening of her slight accent.

Felix sweat-dropped. He hoped she was only making a pun and wasn't referencing something they were supposed to be trying to forget out here in camp. Scooping the girl up in his arms again and tickling her gently to distract her, Felix turned back to Haven.

"What if no one catches me?" Haven asked.

"It isn't a matter of not getting caught," he said softly. "A life is very important and has so many purposes. If you take someone's life, you can never give it back, and you live with the burden of their life and everyone who has ever been affected by them. What about all of the people who love him or will come to rely on him?" Seeing that his words weren't having much effect on his camper, he sighed and hung his head. "Why don't you and Earnest head to your cabins for the night. We'll have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

The giggling girl waved shyly at her campmates. " _Buona -_ I mean, goodnight!" she called. "Wake up lake and you'll be in an ocean of trouble for shore, Earnest!"

Haven sighed as she grabbed Earnest by the back of his shirt collar and began tugging him towards their cabin. "This is cruel and unusual pun-ishment, you know."


	45. Spin Off 38-5: Kar-Ino Time

The redhead cautiously approached the auburn-haired person sitting at one of the tables outside the main campus cafeteria from behind. Being so engrossed in skillfully shuffling a worn, green deck of cards between two swift hands left the target wide open. The victim: Fiammetta Timo. The victor: Karma Akabane.

"You know, _tesoro,_ I can tell when you're trying to sneak up on me." The person turned to give their would-be assailant a charming smile. "Because the angels always start to sing."

The redhead's lips curled back into a sadistic smirk. "Don't you mean screaming?"

"Heh, you're probably right but, demon or not, you're still my queen." As if to emphasize the point, fingers nimbly slipped the Queen of Hearts from the middle of the deck and waved it in front of orange eyes.

Karma rolled those tiger eyes as the words fell on pink ears. "You always try to be so damn smooth, ya know that? It's so damn cheesy!" Karma snatched the cards up and began shuffling them begrudgingly.

"But you still love me, right~?" A soft chuckle reverberated melodically as the words left and soft lips pressed against Karma's cheek. "Why were you narrating your sneak attack?"

"I thought it would be dramatic, and it got you to stop paying attention to those stupid cards of yours." Karma smirked. "I can do magic too and make those clothes of yours disappear."

Cheeks flushed a vivacious shade of red. "D-Don't do this to me now. I have physics in a half hour."

"Aw, c'mon. You can skip, can't you?" Karma whispered in low voice.

Peridot were eyes averted as a bottom lip was bitten back. "I can't miss this lab, Karma. _D-Dio_ , c-can you get your hands o-out from inside my sh-shirt?"

"Are you being shy? It's not like we haven't done this before, Fino~." Karma teased, turning to straddle his lap. Her hands locked like a vault behind her boyfriend's head in order to make escape absolutely impossible. She leaned in to have her lips brush tantalizingly against his. "Only last week, I had you like putty in the palm of my hand." As if to emphasize her point, Karma let her hands wander down Fino's chest and abdomen again.

" _Cazzo!_ Th-that's different! We were at your place then." Hands firmly grasped the roaming ones before they could find their way lower. Fino shook his wine-red face quickly. "Besides, aren't you meeting with the disciplinary committee later today?"

"Yeah, they're pissed 'cause I set alarm clocks to ring every minute and a half and hid them all around campus." She scoffed as she flipped her long velvet locks over her shoulder and turned around to lean back against Fino's chest.

Her male counterpart wrapped his arms around the girl's waist as he nestled into her neck. "You sure it wasn't because you rigged the vents with both chili AND itching powder?" He laughed dryly.

After a moment's thought, Karma grinned. "Yeah, it could have been that too. All the sneezing, naked people jumping into the pool was hilarious though," she remarked bluntly, scoffing. "Those assholes had it coming."

Fino sighed as he shooked his head with a slight smile. "You better not let them hear you say that, or else you'll be in even more trouble." After a moment, his cheeks puffed out around a pout as he shot his beloved an accusing glance. "I got caught up in that prank too, Karma."

"Buuut, I made you feel better after that, didn't I~?" The redhead smiled wolfishly and ran her hands along the Italian's thighs. "Been playing soccer again, huh?" she asked as she tried to grope him.

"Yes, and I see that you've been 'shopping' again," Fino, bearing strawberry cheeks, noted as he tugged on his girlfriend's red, black-lace trimmed bra strap peeking out from her shirt collar with a single finger.

Karma's allowed her sharp canine teeth to show in her smirk and emulated the aura of the Big Bad Wolf. "All the better to tease you with, my dear~ Don't you dare think Little Red Tsundere-Face is gonna escape getting eaten this time."

"I think the little one in red is you, _carina_ ," Fino replied simply as he affectionately ran his hand through her hair.

She growled and swatted his hand away dismissively. "You're going to be the red one after this, either from what I want to do to you or the slap you're going to get if you keep being such a damned cock-block!"

Humming, Fino brought Karma's hand to his lips and placed light kisses along her fingertips. Normally, she would have gouged out the eyes of any guy who did that with the long, painted-red claws she called nails, but Karma resolved herself to sigh, smiling affectionately at her adoring flame. Heavy-lidded harlequin green eyes sitting under full lashes met saffron eyes gazing lovingly back. They moved in for a kiss when the clock tower bellowed to mark fifteen after.

Fino leaned back and sighed as the couple turned their gazes annoyedly to the towering bell. He kissed his girlfriend's temple and caressed her cheek gently before grabbing his one-strap bag from the table and slowly pushing himself to his feet. Checking the time on his cell phone, Fino saluted Karma with his phone in hand, causing the jeweled dagger charm, a present from her, to swing as if it were saluting her too. "I have to get to lab, but call me if you need anything!" He smiled sweetly as he turned and took off running.

Karma crossed her legs and arms. Even when Fino didn't have time, he seemed to still make some for stupid mushy signs of affection. It was just part of him being forthcoming and sincere about how he felt about her. Although it was obvious that he loved her, Karma found herself questioning what made him so different from the other guys she had wrapped around her finger - that is, until they realized how much of a "Miss Demeanor" she actually was. Was it because he could see through her defenses and didn't care? Could he actually like those darker parts of her? Or was he just stupid? Karma clicked her tongue. _Tch._ How annoying.

She couldn't understand him at all, the way he first approached her for no other motive than to get to know her. Biting her thumb, she thought hard. They were both top of their class, but he wasn't trying to usurp her rank or put an end to her then already-famous pranking streak. Karma knew that he hadn't been trying to seduce her; it wasn't possible with that ridiculously-flustered state he'd get into when they first met.

The friendship had been really rocky at first, what with her trying to lose him at every turn, but they had soon-enough become best friends, studying, laughing, crying, running the town together under the vast, ever-changing American sky. Karma fiddled with the fraying end of a lock of her hair as she reminisced about the past two and a half years, almost unable to believe that they'd been dating for only the last year. She felt herself involuntarily smile as she thought of Fino's lush eyes and silly, shy smile that always seemed to be affectionately fixed on her.

Stretching limber arms under the afternoon sun, Karma stood and placed her hands on her hips. It was going to be another good day.

A voice from the campus P.A. suddenly burst through the speakers in an angry, frantic manner. "TO THE PERSON WHO GREASED ALL OF THE STAIRWAYS, MADE THE POOL DYE SKIN BLUE, AND LET LOOSE THREE PIGS LABELED 1, 2, AND 4 - YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, MS. AKA -!" A throat was cleared and the voice began again in a forced, polite tone. "Please, whoever the culprit might be, although I already have a feeling I know who it is, come to the President's Office IMMEDIATELY."

The redhead snickered. "Aw, that secretary didn't credit me for the condom water-balloon fight in the freshman dorm! But, if she asks so politely, I have no choice but to go, right?" Sarcasm surged from her fluid voice as she stuck her tongue out indifferently and shoved her hands in her pockets and made her way towards the student center.

* * *

Fino lowered his tapping pen as Karma wandered into the physics laboratory later that afternoon. Ignoring the disdainful whispers of several of his classmates, he made his way over the doorway and took Karma's hands.

"What are you doing here?" he asked with concern. "Did something happen?"

Karma rolled her tired eyes. "I'm fine, but they wanted me to make something to counteract the dye in the pool. Apparently, the rich faculty doesn't want to pay a clean up crew. Even though it'd be easier to just drain the damned pool and refill it, they're using the excuse that this is going to 'teach me a lesson' or some shit."

Pulling her into a hug, Fino sighed softly. "I take it you want me to make the neutralizer?"

"Please and thank you," Karma muttered. "Do you need to go back now or can I kidnap you?" she grumbled, glaring at the other students as her fingers dug into the back of her comforter's shirt. "I friggin' hate their stuck-up attitudes."

Fino glanced at his professor, who doubled as his academic advisor, and smiled when he got the nod of approval to go. The Italian quickly gathered his stuff and wrapped his arm around Karma's waist as she led him outside the classroom.

* * *

Frustratedly, Karma kicked a miniature, red bell alarm clock aside as she plopped down on the floor of her room. It struck a larger pile of several dozen identical clocks, which all clanged together, reverberating, under the metallic impact. Inspired by the clamor, Fino patiently struck a few resounding chords on his green and white acoustic guitar.

The scowling woman, sighing heavily, plopped down onto the floor with a plastic bag brimming, stretched almost to its breaking point, with several jars and containers. She watched the man sitting on her unkempt bed strum, impassioned, for a few more chords before she dumped the bag's contents at his feet.

"All you need to do is see what I used and how much, right?" she asked boredly, sticking her tongue out.

Fino scanned over the contents on the floor and smiled. "Exactly. But…" Verdant eyes found Karma sighing heavily and staring blankly up at the ceiling. He placed the guitar aside and smiled softly. "Can we lay down for a little bit? I haven't seen you in what feels like forever…" He extended his hand and warm gaze to her.

Karma accepted his hand and found herself wrapped up in a tight embrace. She smiled bittersweetly. "Someone's being direct today. You aren't going to try to make an excuse this time?"

"I'm a horrible liar and you know it," Fino protested with a blush as he gazed at the woman just an inch away from him on the pillow. He adoringly brushed her loose locks away from her face and tucked them neatly behind her ear before returning his hand to rest gently on her hip. "You seem upset. What is the administration having you do this time?"

Karma rolled her eyes with a huffing scoff. "They want me to enter another math competition and take the team to nationals. The president wants me to do some tutoring too." She sighed as she played inattentively with Fino's cross earing. "Well, if it keeps me from being suspended, I guess I can spare some time. This is friggin' pissing me off, though."

He chuckled and pressed his lips to his partner's forehead. "Would you mind if I went to cheer you on?"

"It really won't be a big deal, but I wouldn't be able to stop you anyway, would I?" She smiled slightly and jabbed Fino's cheek with a finger.

"Ow!" The auburn-haired man pouted and rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand. "That huwt!" he grumbled, smiling as Karma started laughing lightly. "If I didn't go, I'd be surrendering the victory kiss to some other guy!" Fino protested the thought indignantly.

Karma smirked. "It's a promise, then, but what if I want more than a kiss?" She wiggled her eyebrows jokingly as she repeatedly winked exaggeratedly and grinned toothily up at him.

Fino hummed in thought. "Then you'll have to win. You always do~."

"Would you ever assume otherwise?" She replied, wearing a cocky smile.

"Of course not, _amore._ " He placed a light kiss on her lips. "But, I would say that I'm a winner too. You know why that is?" Fino watched those lips purse as if to warn him against continuing, but he just chuckled. "Because I feel like a winner every time you smile at me."

Karma scoffed. "That was even cheesier than before!"

"Is it more like mozzarella or provolone~?" Fino laughed at his own bad joke, only to get a hard pinch to his nose. His voice now nasally, he squeaked out a " _Mi arrendo! Mi arrendo! (I surrender/I give up!)"_ from a scrunched-up face. Once released, he shot a pouty look at his love. "What was that for?!"

"For the stupid comment! _Kono baka! (You idiot!)"_ The redhead sighed, but couldn't help but break into the slightest of giggles as the boyish person across from her laughed lightly at her attempt at being harsh with him - which always failed, not that she would ever admit it. She stared into his smiling face for a few moments longer before moving in to kiss him, lingering as if to seal their lips together for eternity.

Fino's eyes shut in surprise but he intuitively kissed her back, gently fitting them together. When they pulled back, hesitantly and slowly, amber met emerald and suddenly lips fervently connected once again, trembling under a turbulent and rolling magnetic storm brewing over the soft, subdued undercurrent of a dancing flame. Simultaneously, hands grasped at the other's clothes desperately until a knock suddenly pounded on the door.

Sighing, the couple separated begrudgingly as they separated. Straightening her disheveled clothes, Karma got up and went to throw open her door with a sour expression.

"What do you want, Ryan?" She demanded. "I'm more than a little busy."

The average-looking male grinned. "I heard a juicy little tidbit about our star mathlete taking the team to nationals!"

Unamused, Karma slammed the door in his face. "Fucking Ryan! He's always in our business and gossiping about one thing or another!"

"Should I interview the rest of the team?" he called through the door.

"Go screw yourself, Ryan!" Karma spat back.

"Fine, fine. At least I'll keep it quiet - unlike you two!"

"HEY!" Karma threw open the door with a growl and glared him down as he retreated back to his own room. She closed the door again with a huff and an annoyed scowl. "Fucking Ryan…"

Fino buttoned up his shirt and laughed lightly, holding his arms open to welcome Karma back into his embrace. He sat, holding her on the bed for a few peaceful moments before placing a kiss on her cheek.

"He isn't so bad, is he?" Fino asked tentatively.

"Not so bad? It's his fault that people thought you were dating that girl you were tutoring…" Karma sighed. "And how many times has he interrupted us now?"

"... Fucking Ryan," he tried to say, albeit awkwardly. "Fucking Ryan!" he exclaimed with more confidence.

Karma laughed and turned to wrap her arms around his neck. Slowly, he brought his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck. He breathed in the metallic scent wafting from her skin and smiled against her collarbone. He lived for these tender moments. She was C43H66N12O12S2 (Oxytocin). She was C10H14N2 (Nicotine). The reasons why he craved her constantly, the one person who made him feel like he could melt forever.

"Karma?" Fino called quietly. He bit his lip back, afraid of sounding too much like a child. "I love you… I'll always need you, just like this. I'm only ever me when I'm with you."

Karma closed her eyes and rested her head against his, hiding her blush in his hair. "Hey, save that sappy stuff."

Fino laughed into her neck. "You fight well," he offered as he laced his fingers through her long locks.

"Oh?"

"But you kiss better~."

Rolling marmalade eyes, Karma placed a gentle kiss on Fino's lips. Affectionately, he dotingly placed kisses on her forehead, cheeks, nose, neck - anywhere he could reach and everything he loved. Laughing she rested her head against his chest and the two's will to do anything dissipated like the last rays of the setting sun outside their open window.

* * *

Left Brain: Hello readers.

Right Brain: Wait! (Applies Filter) Ok, you can continue!

Left Brain: (sigh) I hope you enjoyed this little gem Right Brain wrote. Sorry if Chapter 33 got to you... That one paragraph does test the upper limits of T. To C, was it endothermic enough for you? ...Joking! Right brain and I are on Hiatus. We plan to get back to posting in July... Late August at the latest. Sorry to all of you waiting, especially Guest 3. We are literally half a continent and an ocean apart right now, so collaboration is at a minimal at the moment. (Pushes filter away) Was that really necessary?

Right brain: Yes! (o 3 ~)/


	46. Important Information

Narrator: If you were directed here by a new chapter notification, **go to Chapter 42!**

Left Brain: We've reorganized the order of the chapters so that all the spin-offs will always be at the end. This makes life easier for us but causes problems when it comes to reviews. Please do not leave reviews on the spin-offs while this story is in progress because when we replace the chapter, you won't be able to leave another review. This ONLY applies to spin-offs. Reviewing on normal chapters will not be affected. I'm very very sorry for the inconvenience. Always feel free to send us a pm.

Right Brain: Thankies~! We appreciate your cooperation and continued commentary~! Isn't alliteration awesome?!

Left Brain: (quirks an eyebrow at Right Brain and slowly pushes her out of the room) Please do not review on this post either. If you have questions, please pm us. Thank you for your continued support.

* * *

Post History Since Reorganization:

Chapter 42: 7/3/17

Chapter 41: 1/28/17

Chapter 40: 12/15/16

Chapter 39: 8/22/16

Spin-Off 38-5: 6/16/16

Chapter 38: 5/25/16

Chapter 37: 5/12/16

Chapter 36: 5/12/16

Chapter 35: 5/8/16

* * *

Earlier Post History

Chapter 34: 5/2/16

Spin-Off 33-5: 4/25/16

Chapter 33: 4/10/16

Chapter 32: 4/2/16

Chapter 31: 3/18/16

Chapter 30: 3/17/16

Chapter 29: 3/14/16

Chapter 28: 3/14/16

Chapter 27: 3/14/16

Chapter 26: 3/2/16

Chapter 25: 2/23/16

Chapter 24: 2/14/16

Chapter 23: 2/14/16

Chapter 22: 2/14/16

Chapter 21: 2/13/16

Chapter 20: 2/12/16

Chapter 19: 2/12/16

Chapter 18: 2/10/16

Chapter 17: 2/10/16

Chapter 16: 2/10/16

Spin-Off 15-5: 2/10/16

Chapter 15: 2/9/16

Chapter 14: 2/7/16

Chapter 13: 2/6/16

Chapter 12: 2/5/16

Chapter 11: 2/5/16

Chapter 10: 2/3/16

Chapter 9: 2/2/16

Chapter 8: 2/1/16

Chapter 7: 1/31/16

Chapter 6: 1/30/16

Chapter 5: 1/30/16

Chapter 4: 1/30/16

Chapter 3: 1/27/16

Chapter 2: 1/25/16

Chapter 1: 1/23/16


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